Eucalyptus crebra narrow-leaved red ironbark

A handsome ironbark, this species’ abundance in its native range is acknowledged in its name: Latin creber means frequent or close. It will be inevitably compared to the red ironbark (E. sideroxylon), which is much more crebrous on campus. Its dark, fissured bark with grayish ridges and sometimes cinnamon valleys is similar, though its leaves are noticeably narrower, and its buds and fruits much smaller. Flowers are always white.

Two fine specimens remain of three under the canopy of the great Torrey pine at the northwest corner of Palm Drive and Arboretum Road, one on the Palm Drive side of the chain and bollard barrier and the other a few dozen feet north of it. Seed was gathered from these in 2006 to raise the three saplings planted in the Bracewell Memorial Grove a couple of years later, thus somewhat improving the crebrity of this attractive species on campus.

Related material: Eucalyptus checklist | Eucalypt voucher gallery.