Small tree to 10 m tall, occasionally taller to 15 m. Forming a lignotuber.Ironbark dark grey to black, normally rough-barked to the small branches, occasionally smooth-barked on branches less than 6 cm diameter.Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stem square or rounded in cross-section; juvenile leaves shortly petiolate, alternate, linear, 5.5–9 cm long, 0.4–0.6 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, dull, green.Adult leaves alternate, petiole 1–2.5 cm long; blade lanceolate to falcate, 7–13 (17) cm long, 0.9–2.3 cm wide, base tapering to petiole, concolorous, dull, green to blue-green, side-veins at an angle less than 45° to midrib, densely reticulate, intramarginal vein parallel to and just within margin, oil glands sparse intersectional.Inflorescence terminal compound, sometimes a few axillary compound also and possibly some axillary single umbels, peduncles 0.5–1.1 cm long, buds 7 per umbel, pedicels (0.1)0.3–0.5 cm long. Mature buds clavate to fusiform to ± cylindrical, 0.4–0.7 cm long, 0.2–0.4 cm wide, scar usually present (first operculum sheds very early in bud development), operculum bluntly conical to rounded, stamens erect or irregularly flexed, anthers cuboid, adnate, slits or pores separate, style long, stigma blunt or pin-head shaped, locules 4, the placentae each with 4 vertical ovule rows. Flowers white.Fruit on pedicels 0.2–0.7 cm long, cup-shaped, cylindrical or obconical, 0.4–0.6 cm long, 0.3–0.6 cm wide, discslightly raised, level or obliquely descending, valves 4, exserted.Seeds brown, (1)1.2–1.8 mm long, flattened-ovoid, dorsal surface shallowly reticulate, hilum ventral. Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): cotyledons small, reniform; stems square in cross-section; leaves always petiolate, opposite for 4–7 nodes then alternate, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 7.3–9.7 cm long, 0.4–0.9 cm wide, base tapering, dull, green, discolorous.
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