Ironbark is a common name of a number of species in three taxonomic groups within the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of Flowering plant, flowering trees, shrubs or Mallee (habit), mallees in the Myrtaceae, myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the Tribe (biology) ...

'' that have dark, deeply furrowed

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, en ...

. Instead of being shed annually as in many of the other species of ''Eucalyptus'', the dead bark accumulates on the trees, forming the fissures. It becomes rough after drying out and becomes impregnated with

kino Kino may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasters * KINO, a radio station in Arizona, U.S. * Kino FM (98.0 FM – Moscow), a Russian music radio station * KinoTV, now Ruutu+ Leffat ja Sarjat, a Finnish TV channel Fictional entitie ...

(red gum), a dark red tree sap exuded by the tree. The tree is so named for the apparent resemblance of its bark to iron

slag Slag is a by-product of smelting ( pyrometallurgical) ores and used metals. Broadly, it can be classified as ferrous (by-products of processing iron and steel), ferroalloy (by-product of ferroalloy production) or non-ferrous/ base metals (by ...

. The bark is resistant to fire and heat and protects the living tissue within the trunk and branches from fire. In cases of extreme fire, where leaves and shoots are removed, the protective bark aids in protecting epicormic

bud In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be speci ...

s which allow the tree to reshoot. Being a very dense, hard wood, a length of ironbark is often used as a

bug shoe A skeg (or skegg or skag) is a sternward extension of the keel of boats and ships which have a rudder mounted on the centre line. The term also applies to the lowest point on an outboard motor or the outdrive of an inboard/outboard."A small fin f ...

on the bottom of a ship's

skeg A skeg (or skegg or skag) is a sternward extension of the keel of boats and ships which have a rudder mounted on the centre line. The term also applies to the lowest point on an outboard motor or the outdrive of an inboard/outboard."A small fin f ...

to protect it from

shipworm The shipworms are marine bivalve molluscs in the family Teredinidae: a group of saltwater clams with long, soft, naked bodies. They are notorious for boring into (and commonly eventually destroying) wood that is immersed in sea water, including ...

s. Ironbark was widely used in the piles of 19th and early 20th century bridges and wharves in New Zealand.

Examples of ironbark species

* '' Eucalyptus ancophila'' L.A.S.Johnston &

K.D.Hill Kenneth D. Hill (6 August 1948 – 4 August 2010) was an Australian botanist, notable for his work on eucalypts, the systematics, evolution and conservation of the genus '' Cycas'', as well as on botanical informatics. He was born in Armidale ...

* ''

Eucalyptus atrata ''Eucalyptus atrata'', commonly known as the Herberton ironbark or blue-leaved ironbark, is a small tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has hard, black "ironbark" on the trunk and all but the thinnest branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, buds ...

'' L.A.S.Johnston & K.D.Hill Herberton ironbark, blue-leaved ironbark * '' Eucalyptus beaniana'' L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill Bean's ironbark * '' Eucalyptus caleyi'' Maiden Caley's ironbark, drooping ironbark * '' Eucalyptus corynodes'' A.R. Bean & Brooker * ''

Eucalyptus crebra ''Eucalyptus crebra'', commonly known as the narrow-leaved ironbark, narrow-leaved red ironbark or simply ironbark, and as muggago in the indigenous Dharawal language, is a species of small to medium-sized tree endemic to eastern Australia. It h ...

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vic ...

narrow-leaved ironbark or narrow-leaved red ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus cullenii ''Eucalyptus cullenii'', commonly known as Cullen's ironbark, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has thick, rough, deeply furrowed "ironbark", lance-shaped adult leaves, green to yellow flower buds in gro ...

'' Cambage Cullen's ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus decolor ''Eucalyptus decolor'' is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough, hard, fissured "ironbark", lance-shaped to curved adult leaves that are distinctly paler on the lower surface, flower buds in groups of ...

'' A.R.Bean & Brooker * '' Eucalyptus decorticans'' ( F.M.Bailey)

Maiden Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

gum-topped ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus dura ''Eucalyptus dura'' is a species of small to medium sized tree that is endemic to south-eastern Queensland. It has rough, dark grey to black "ironbark", lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and conical fruit. ...

'' L.A.S. Johnson & K.D.Hill * ''

Eucalyptus exilipes ''Eucalyptus exilipes'', commonly known as the fine-leaved ironbark, is a species of medium to tall tree and is endemic to Queensland. It has dark grey or black "ironbark", linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seve ...

'' Brooker & A.R.Bean fine-leaved ironbark * '' Eucalyptus farinosa'' K.D.Hill * ''

Eucalyptus fibrosa ''Eucalyptus fibrosa'', commonly known as the red ironbark, broad-leaved red ironbark or broad-leaved red ironbark, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree endemic to eastern Australia. It has grey to black ironbark, lance-shaped to egg-shape ...

'' F. Muell. broad-leaved (red) ironbark, blue-leaved ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus fusiformis ''Eucalyptus fusiformis'', commonly known as the grey ironbark or Nambucca ironbark is a tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has thick, blackish, "ironbark" on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in ...

'' Boland & Kleinig grey ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus granitica ''Eucalyptus granitica'', commonly known as the granite ironbark, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has dark grey or black " ironbark" on the trunk and branches, glossy green, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds ...

'' L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill granite ironbark * '' Eucalyptus indurata'' Brooker &

Hopper Hopper or hoppers may refer to: Places *Hopper, Illinois *Hopper, West Virginia * Hopper, a mountain and valley in the Hunza–Nagar District of Pakistan * Hopper (crater), a crater on Mercury People with the name * Hopper (surname) * Grace Ho ...

ironbark * '' Eucalyptus jensenii'' Maiden Wandi ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus melanoleuca ''Eucalyptus melanoleuca'', commonly known as yarraman ironbark or nanango ironbark, is a species of tree that is endemic to south-east Queensland. It has rough ironbark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult le ...

'' S.T.Blake Yarraman ironbark or nanango ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus melanophloia ''Eucalyptus melanophloia'', commonly known as silver-leaved ironbark, is a species of tree that is endemic to northeastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough, hard ironbark on the trunk and branches. The crown is usually c ...

'' F.Muell. silver-leaved ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus ophitica ''Eucalyptus ophitica'', commonly known as the serpentine ironbark, is a species of small ironbark tree that is endemic to a small area of northern New South Wales. It has grey ironbark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, ...

'' L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill serpentine ironbark * '' Eucalyptus panda'' S.T. Blake tumbledown ironbark, Yetman ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus paniculata ''Eucalyptus paniculata'', commonly known as grey ironbark, is a species of tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It has dark-coloured, deeply furrowed ironbark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in gro ...

'' Sm. grey ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus paedoglauca ''Eucalyptus paedoglauca'', commonly known as the Mount Stuart ironbark, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to a small area in Queensland. It has rough, dark ironbark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white ...

'' L.A.S.Johnson &

Blaxell Donald Frederick Blaxell (born 1 February 1934, Sydney, New South Wales), is an Australian botanist, botanical collector and taxonomist. Blaxell worked at the University of New South Wales for 11 years and joined the New south Wales Herbarium i ...

Mount Stuart ironbark * '' Eucalyptus placita'' L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill grey ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus quadricostata ''Eucalyptus quadricostata'', commonly known as the square-fruited ironbark, is a species of small to medium-sized ironbark that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough ironbark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flowe ...

'' Brooker square-fruited ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus rhombica ''Eucalyptus rhombica'' is a small to medium-sized tree that is Endemism, endemic to a small area of south-east Queensland. It has rough, ironbark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...

'' A.R.Bean & Brooker * ''

Eucalyptus scopulorum ''Eucalyptus scopulorum'' is a species of small tree that is endemic to a small area of northern New South Wales. It has rough ironbark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and barr ...

'' K.D.Hill * ''

Eucalyptus shirleyi ''Eucalyptus shirleyi'', commonly known as Shirley's silver leafed ironbark, silver-leaved ironbark, or Shirley's silver leaved ironbark, is a species of small ironbark tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough ironbark on the trunk and l ...

'' Maiden Shirleys's silver leaved ironbark * '' Eucalyptus sicilifolia'' L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill * '' Eucalyptus siderophloia''

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

northern grey ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus sideroxylon ''Eucalyptus sideroxylon'', commonly known as mugga ironbark, or red ironbark is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has dark, deeply furrowed ironbark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of se ...

'' A.Cunn. ex Woolls mugga ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus staigeriana ''Eucalyptus staigeriana'', commonly known as the lemon-scented ironbark, is a species of small ironbark tree that is endemic to the Cape York Peninsula. It has rough ironbark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves that sme ...

'' F.Muell. ex Bailey lemon-scented ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus suffulgens ''Eucalyptus suffulgens'' is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has hard ironbark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven on the ends of branchlet ...

'' L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill * ''

Eucalyptus taurina ''Eucalyptus taurina'', commonly known as the Helidon ironbark, is a species of medium-sized to tall ironbark that is endemic to Queensland. It has rough ironbark on the trunk and sometimes the larger branches, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adu ...

'' A.R.Bean & Brooker Helidon ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus tricarpa ''Eucalyptus tricarpa'', commonly known as red ironbark or mugga ironbark, is a species of tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has thick, rough ironbark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds usually in ...

'' (L.A.S.Johnson) L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill red ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus virens ''Eucalyptus virens'', commonly known as the shiny-leaved ironbark, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has hard ironbark on the trunk and branches, narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in group ...

'' Brooker & A.R.Bean shiny-leaved ironbark * ''

Eucalyptus whitei ''Eucalyptus whitei'', commonly known as White's ironbark, is a eucalypt that is native to Queensland. Description The tree can grow to a height of and form a lignotuber. It has dark grey to black coloured ironbark that extends to the smaller ...

'' Maiden & Blakely White's ironbark

References

External links

* Eucalyptus {{Eucalyptus-stub

Examples of ironbark species

See also

References

External links