Corymbia arafurica is a species of tree that is endemic to the Northern Territory. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, creamy white flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped fruit.
Corymbia arafurica is a tree that typically grows to a height of 15 m (49 ft) and forms a lignotuber. It has smooth, powdery white to greyish bark that is shed in thin scales, sometimes with a short stocking of rough bark near the base of the trunk. Young plants and coppice regrowth dull green, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves that are 150–250 mm (5.9–9.8 in) long and 70–120 mm (2.8–4.7 in) wide. Adult leaves are the same shade of glossy green on both sides, lance-shaped, 80–207 mm (3.1–8.1 in) long and 13–55 mm (0.51–2.17 in) wide on a petiole 5–26 mm (0.20–1.02 in) long. The flower buds are arranged in leaf axils on a branched peduncle 1–9 mm (0.039–0.354 in) long, each branch with three or seven buds, the individual buds on pedicels 2–11 mm (0.079–0.433 in) long. Mature buds are pear-shaped, 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide with a rounded, sometimes pointed operculum. Flowering occurs from September to October and the flowers are creamy white. The fruit is a woody cylindrical to barrel-shaped capsule 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) long and 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) wide with the valves enclosed in the fruit.[2][3]
Eucalyptus arafurica was first formally described in 1995 by Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson from specimens collected near Oenpelli (present-day Gunbalanya) by Raymond Specht in 1948.[4] The specific epithet (arafurica) refers to the occurrence of this species near the Arafura Sea.[3]
The status of this species is unclear. Ian Brooker has suggested that it may be synonymous with C. papuana.[1]
This eucalypt is common near watercourses and on headlands in the wetter areas of the Top End of the Northern Territory between Port Keats, Darwin, Yirrkala and the Wessel Islands.[2][3]
Corymbia arafurica is a species of tree that is endemic to the Northern Territory. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, creamy white flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped fruit.
