Syncarpia glomulifera

Turpentine

Myrtaceae

Form and Size: A very large tree to 50m in height, with a trunk to 1.5m diameter. 

 Distribution: Tablelands and ranges of northern Qld., Blackdown and Consuelo Tablelands in central Qld. and from Gympie, Qld. to Bateman’s Bay, N.S.W.

Leaves: Opposite pairs, grouped in fours, egg-shaped or broadly oval, dull dark green above, whitish-hairy beneath, thick, stiff, 7- 10cm x 2.5-4.5cm.

Bark: Brown or reddish, persistent, thick, fibrous, stringy, furrowed.

 Flowers: White or cream, petals hairy, stamens longer than petals; usually 7 fused into a head, an inflorescence having 4 heads on long stalks.

 Flowering Period: September to January. 

 Fruit: Capsules, 7 fused into a woody fruit, 1-2cm x 1.5-2cm.

Cultivation/Notes: Propagate from seed. A very large timber tree, not suited to the home garden. It appears to thrive in deep, sandy soils, often in the transitional area between rainforest and eucalypt forest.