# Spotted gum (Corymbia maculata)

> A tall, straight eucalypt to 45 m with a smooth trunk mottled in cream, grey, pink and blue-grey that gives it its name. It is a premier hardwood for poles, flooring and construction, flowers in winter for honey bees, and is one of the most planted large street and park trees in eastern Australian cities. Beyond its natural range it self-seeds: Victoria treats it as an environmental weed and it has naturalised in Western Australia.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/corymbia-maculata · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Family: Myrtaceae
- Type: Broadleaf evergreen
- Mature height: 35 m; spread 15 m
- Growth: Fast growing
- Light: Full sun
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Moist, well-drained soils of moderately heavy texture over shale, slate or granite
- Native range: Native to the coastal plains and hills of New South Wales north to Taree, with one outlying stand in far eastern Victoria.

**Benefits:** Shade, Fast canopy, Pollinators, Birds, Wildlife, Drought tolerant, Storm resistant

**Good for:** Street tree, parks, Timber, Yard shade

**Watch out for:** Large roots, Heavy litter, Invasive elsewhere

## Care

Fast, about 2 to 2.5 m a year when young; stake and water the first summer, then leave alone. Remove lower branches early for a clean trunk. Resistant to fire once established. Powder-post beetle attacks sapwood; Ramularia leaf disease affects nursery stock. Allow plenty of root room and keep clear of buildings.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** NSW, Australia; VIC, Australia (One natural stand near Orbost; elsewhere in Victoria regarded as an environmental weed threatening lowland grassland and dry forest)
- **Adapted:** Kenya (Planted; exotic per ICRAF); South Africa (Planted; exotic per ICRAF (as Eucalyptus maculata); not on NEMBA 2020 list)
- **Invasive:** WA, Australia (Escaped from plantings and naturalised)
- **Recommended:** Sydney, NSW, Australia (Among the ten most used species in the City of Sydney Street Tree Master Plan 2023)

## Sources

- https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/entities/corymbia_maculata.htm
- https://apps.worldagroforestry.org/treedb2/speciesprofile.php?Spid=17934
- https://www.gbif.org/species/5418386