blue gum

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BLUE GUM

Eucalyptus globulus
Eucalyptus globulus of the family Myrtaceae, this wood is called variously blue gum, blue gum eucalyptus, Australian blue gum, Tasmanian blue gum, Southern blue gum, Hawaiian blue gum, and numerous other, less used, names.

It is native to Southern Australia and Tasmania but its abiltiy to adapt to a wide range of growth conditions has made it among the most, if not THE most, wide-spread eucalyptus species. It is grown, often on plantations, in Southern California, Hawaii, Southern Europe, Southern Africa, and New Zealand.

It has rapid growth and interlocked grain and is difficult to season without defects. Frequent internal stresses make it unsuitable for furniture, but it is widely used for construction (fence posts, poles, gates, etc), firewood, veneer, and wood pulp products.

If you buy wood in the USA that is labeled just "eucalyptus", it is very likely Euclayptus grandis (on this site on the "eucalypts" page) if not Eucalyptus globulus.

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions

both sides of a sample plank of Tasmanian blue gum / Eucalyptus globulus --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

The Wood Book pics

flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus, also listed as eucalyptus and gum tree) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

web pics:

end grain listed as blue gum eucalyptus end grain

planks listed as either blue gum or blue gum eucalyptus --- many of these have a mottle figure but that is so common in this wood that it is often not mentioned

plank listed as Australian blue gum

plank listed as Hawaiian blue gum

planks listed as blue gum / Eucalyptus globulus

plank listed as Southern blue gum / Eucalyptus globulis

planks listed as Southern blue gum / Eucalyptus globulus

planks listed as Southern blue gum / Eucalyptus globulus and with a color that is just laughable

figured planks listed as blue gum or blue gum eucalyptus

the same set of planks, pictured on two different web sites with one rotated and color-changed. I have no idea which pic, if either, is the better representation of the wood and this is the kind of nonsense you find on the Internet.