Narrowleaf red ironbark

Eucalyptus crebra, the narrow-leaved red ironbark, is a medium-sized to tall evergreen tree in the family Myrtaceae, native to eastern Australia from northern Queensland through New South Wales, where it is a characteristic dominant of dry sclerophyll forests, woodlands and grassy ridges on poor, often shallow, well-drained soils. It typically reaches 20 to 35 metres in height with a straight trunk and an open, rather sparse crown. The bark is the most distinctive feature: dark grey to almost black, persistent on the trunk and larger branches as deeply furrowed, hard, brittle, resin-impregnated ridges in the characteristic ironbark fashion, smooth and pale only on the smallest branches. Mature leaves are alternate, narrowly lanceolate to falcate, 7 to 15 centimetres long and 0.6 to 2 centimetres wide, dull blue-green to grey-green on both surfaces. Inflorescences of seven small white flowers appear from late autumn to spring, producing small, hemispherical to obconical woody fruits 3 to 6 millimetres across with enclosed or slightly exserted valves. The dense, durable, dark-red timber is highly valued for poles, railway sleepers and heavy construction.