Wood Species: Gum, Sydney Blue

Scientific Name: Eucalyptus saligna

Trade Name: Sydney Blue Gum

Family Name: Myrtaceae

Common Names: Blue gum, saligna gum, Sydney blue gum

Regions of Distribution: Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America

Countries of Distribution: Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kenya, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Morocco, Mozambique, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Taiwan, Province of China, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe

Appearance

Color: Ranges from pink to darker reds; as wood ages color darkens to a medium brown-red.

Grain: Straight, dense grain

Variations within species and grades: If wood is from regrowth timber the color can be a paler yellow with pink highlights.

Properties

Hardness/Janka: 2023 (57% harder than Northern red oak)

Dimensional stability: Data not available

Origin: Australia

Availability: Moderately available

Average and maximum lifespan: 150+

Workability

Sawing/Machining: Very hard, must use carbide blades and bits

Sanding: No known problems

Nailing: May pre-drill or hand nail

Finishing: No known problems

Common Uses: General building purposes, decking and boat building, Flooring, Paneling, Joinery, cabinetry, crossties

Plant habit and lifestyle: Plant is heterophyllous, 30-50 m in height

Buds: Black, irregularly shaped, and about 1.3 min (0.05 in) in diameter. They are released along with a large amount of reddish-brown chaff when the capsule valves open. There are 460 viable seeds per gram (13,000/oz) of seed plus chaff.

Leaves: Juvenile leaves are 1st opposite and then alternate, ovate to broadly lanceolate, green, strongly discolored; adult leaves are alternate, simple pendulous, lanceolate, 9-17 x 2-3 cm; petiole 15-25 mm long, pinnately veined or with parallel veins, aromatic when crushed, glabrous.

Flowers: Inflorescence simple, axillary, with 7-11 flowers; peduncles flattened, 4-18 mm long; pedicels are present, up to 3 mm long, or absent, angular; the angles often continuing as ribs on the hypanthia; buds more or less ovoid, 6-9 x 3-4 mm; opercula conical.

Fruits: Sessile or very shortly pedicillate, campanulate, cylindrical or pyriform, 5-8 x 4-7 mm; disk narrow, descending; valves 3 or 4, usually with thin, pointed tips, erect, protruding just above the rim level or strongly exerted, usually conspicuously out-curved.

Habitat: The preferred climate is warm temperate to subtropical with a mild dry season of not more than 4 months. Although it can tolerate short dry periods, best growth is achieved on sites with a high rainfall well distributed throughout the year. While occurring naturally in a summer-rainfall zone, it has grown successfully in areas where there is a winter-rainfall maximum. Mainly a tree of fertile valleys and slopes. The species has been reported as tolerating light frosts.