A stringybark can be any of the many ''

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) ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

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 spe ...

. 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 ''Eucalyptus acmenoides'', commonly known as white mahogany or barayly,Les Robinson - Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, page 40 is a tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a large tree with grey to reddish brown, stringy b ...

'' 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 baxteri'', commonly known as brown stringybark, is a medium-sized tree that is endemic the south-east of Australia. It has rough, stringy bark to the thinnest branches, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, green to yellow flower bud ...

Eucalyptus laevopinea ''Eucalyptus laevopinea'', commonly known as the silver top stringybark, is a tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy greyish bark on the trunk and larger branches, glossy green, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in ...

'') * Mealy stringybark or silver stringybark ('' Eucalyptus cephalocarpa'') * Messmate stringybark (''

'') * Privet-leaved stringybark ('' Eucalyptus ligustrina'') * Red stringybark (''

Eucalyptus macrorhyncha ''Eucalyptus macrorhyncha'', commonly known as the red stringybark, is a species of medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy, grey to brown bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between se ...

'') * 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 muelleriana ''Eucalyptus muelleriana'', commonly known as yellow stringybark, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has rough, stingy bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flowe ...

'', ''

Eucalyptus umbra ''Eucalyptus umbra'', known as the broad-leaved white mahogany, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to northern New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous to stringy bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to curved ad ...

'') * Thin-leaved stringybark (''

Eucalyptus eugenioides ''Eucalyptus eugenioides'', commonly known as the thin-leaved stringybark or white stringybark, is a species of tree endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small to medium-sized tree with rough stringy bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, Fl ...

'') * White stringybark (''

Eucalyptus globoidea ''Eucalyptus globoidea'', commonly known as the white stringybark, is a tree that is endemic to near-coastal areas of south-eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy bark, often furrowed on the trunk, glossy, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, often cur ...

'') * Wollemi stringybark ('' Eucalyptus expressa'') * Stringybark or narrow-leaved stringybark (''

Eucalyptus oblonga ''Eucalyptus globoidea'', commonly known as the white stringybark, is a tree that is endemic to near-coastal areas of south-eastern Australia. It has rough, stringy bark, often furrowed on the trunk, glossy, lance-shaped to egg-shaped, often cur ...

'') * Stringybark (''

Eucalyptus tenella ''Eucalyptus tenella'', commonly known as narrow-leaved stringybark, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It has stringy bark, narrow lance-shaped to linear leaves, flower buds in group of seven to fif ...

'') Studies have shown that blue-leaved stringybark is one of the 20-odd eucalypts preferred by

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the ...

References

Eucalyptus {{Myrtaceae-stub