About Eucalyptus racemosa Cav.
Eucalyptus racemosa Cav., commonly known as snappy gum, is most often a tree that typically reaches 15 to 20 metres (49 to 66 feet) in height, and rarely grows as a mallee. This species forms a lignotuber, and has smooth, mottled bark that may be white, yellow, grey or cream-coloured, and often bears insect scribbles. Young plants and coppice regrowth have dull green, egg-shaped leaves that measure 50–170 mm (2.0–6.7 in) long and 25–85 mm (0.98–3.35 in) wide, and grow on petioles. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides, and range from lance-shaped to curved or egg-shaped. They are 65–200 mm (2.6–7.9 in) long and 10–35 mm (0.39–1.38 in) wide, borne on a petiole 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) long. Flower buds are usually arranged in leaf axils in groups of 7 to 15, on an unbranched peduncle 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) long; individual buds attach to pedicels 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long. Mature buds are oval, 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide, with a rounded or conical operculum. Flowering occurs mainly from July to September, and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody capsule that can be cup-shaped, conical or hemispherical. It measures 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long and 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) wide, with valves positioned near the rim of the capsule. Snappy gum grows in woodland and forest, sometimes in pure stands, on poor sandstone soils in mid to high rainfall areas. It occurs along the coast, tablelands and western slopes, ranging from Bombala, Bathurst and Albury in New South Wales north to Gympie and Bundaberg in south-eastern Queensland. The distinctive scribbles often seen on the bark of this eucalypt are caused by the scribbly gum moth, Ogmograptis racmosa.
