A stringybark can be any of the many ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the family

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

. In exceptionally fertile locations some stringybark species (in particular messmate stringybark (''

Eucalyptus obliqua ''Eucalyptus obliqua'', commonly known as messmate stringybark or messmate, but also known as brown top, brown top stringbark, stringybark or Tasmanian oak, is a species of tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy or ...

'') can be very large, reaching over 80 metres in height. More typically, stringybarks are medium-sized trees in the 10 to 40 metre range. Early European colonists often used the bark for roofing and walls of huts. The term ''stringybark'' is a descriptive, vernacular name and does not imply any special taxonomic relationship within the genus ''Eucalyptus''. For example, scientists consider ''

'' to not be closely related to the other stringybarks, because of the gumnut shape. And '' Eucalyptus acmenoides'' is part of the ''mahogany'' group of eucalyptus. Also as the gumnuts are a different shape, despite the bark being somewhat stringy.Forest Trees of Australia, D.J. Boland et al. 1992 page 270 There are many different species of stringybark, including: * Blue-leaved stringybark ('' Eucalyptus agglomerata'') * Brown stringybark ('' Eucalyptus baxteri, Eucalyptus laevopinea'') * Mealy stringybark or silver stringybark ('' Eucalyptus cephalocarpa'') * Messmate stringybark (''

'') * Privet-leaved stringybark ('' Eucalyptus ligustrina'') * Red stringybark ('' Eucalyptus macrorhyncha'') * Tindale's stringybark (''

Eucalyptus tindaliae ''Eucalyptus tindaliae'', commonly known as Tindal's stringybark, is a species of tree that is endemic to coastal eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds i ...

'') * Yellow stringybark ('' Eucalyptus acmenoides'', '' Eucalyptus muelleriana'', '' Eucalyptus umbra'') * Thin-leaved stringybark ('' Eucalyptus eugenioides'') * White stringybark ('' Eucalyptus globoidea'') * Wollemi stringybark ('' Eucalyptus expressa'') * Stringybark or narrow-leaved stringybark ('' Eucalyptus oblonga'') * Stringybark ('' Eucalyptus tenella'') Studies have shown that blue-leaved stringybark is one of the 20-odd eucalypts preferred by

koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...

References

Eucalyptus {{Myrtaceae-stub