Distinguishing features
The tree's common name comes from its bark, which takes a greyish cast at about one year of age.
It grows as a large tree with bark of various shades of grey, white and orange hues, which sheds in large sheets, giving the trunk a patchy appearance.
The glossy dark green adult leaves are falcate (sickle-shaped) or lanceolate and measure 8–15 cm in length by 1.5–3 cm wide.
The flowers are white and are in bloom from December to March. (Wikipedia)
Size
- Up to 3500 cm (Height)
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
It is native to South East Queensland and eastern New South Wales, where it specialises in poor soils such as Sydney sandstone.
The range is from the Liverpool Range to Nowra in central New South Wales, most commonly on transition zone soil type between sandstone and shale. It grows in tall open sclerophyll forest. (Wikipedia)
Web resources
Natural predators
- Animalia: Koala (species: Phascolarctos cinereus) (Eats the leaves.)
- Animalia: Grey-headed Flying Fox (species: Pteropus poliocephalus) (Eats the flowers.)
- Animalia: Brown-headed Honeyeater (species: Melithreptus (Melithreptus) brevirostris) (Feeds on the gum exudate from the stems.)
- Animalia: Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (species: Lichenostomus melanops) (Feeds on the gum exudate from the stems.)