Eucalyptus granitica

Eucalyptus granitica, commonly known as the granite ironbark, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has dark grey or black "ironbark" on the trunk and branches, glossy green, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped fruit.

Description
Eucalyptus granitica is a tree that typically grows to a height of 20 m and forms a lignotuber. It has hard or soft, dark grey to black ironbark on the trunk and branches. Young plants and coppice regrowth have stems that are more or less square in cross-section and leaves that are more or less sessile, lance-shaped, 60-110 mm long and 1-20 mm wide. Adult leaves are lance-shaped, more or less the same glossy green on both sides, 70-150 mm long and 13-32 mm wide on a petiole 10-20 mm long. The flower buds are usually arranged in groups of seven on a branched peduncle, 3-11 mm long, the individual buds on pedicels 2-4 mm long. Mature buds are oval, 4-6 mm long and about 3 mm wide with a conical to rounded operculum. Flowering has mostly been recorded between July and September and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody cup-shaped or barrel-shaped capsule 4-6 mm long and 3-6 mm wide with the valves near or below rim level.

Taxonomy and naming
Eucalyptus granitica was first formally described in 1991 by Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson from a specimen collected near Atherton on the road to Herberton. The description was publish in the journal Telopea. The specific epithet is derived from the neo-Latin word graniticus, relating to granite, referring to the usual habitat of this species.

Distribution and habitat
Granite ironbark is common on undulating country, growing in granite and volcanic soils from the Atherton Tableland to Paluma.

Conservation status
This eucalypt is classified as "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.