Eucalyptus paniculata gray ironbark

Eucalyptus paniculata near Arboretum Road and Palm Drive. Sairus Patel, 24 Jun 2024

As you walk to Palo Alto on the east side of Palm Drive, stop four palm trees north of Arboretum Road and look to the right into the Arboretum. There stands a majestic multi-trunked behemoth with hard, fissured bark that is persistent on the trunk (map pin). Hop over the fence to examine its low-hanging leaves, which are paler on the underside, unlike those of our other ironbarks, E. sideroxylon and E. crebra. The leaves are also broader than E. crebra’s. The buds are in groups of 7 which are themselves arranged in panicles at the ends of the branches (hence the species name paniculata). E. polyanthemos also has this kind of terminal compound inflorescence.

Continue to Lasuen Street and walk north a few dozen yards. A pair of old gray ironbarks on your left (map pin) guard the entrance pathway to the Bracewell Memorial Grove that leads off to the right. A couple of more specimens are nearby, in the general direction of the multi-trunked one.

Illustrations: E. paniculata gallery.

Related material: Eucalyptus checklist.