Tree to 40 m tall; bark rough at base to 4 or 5 m, compact, fissured, grey-black; smooth bark white, usually with prominent scribbles. Juvenile leaves sessile, opposite for few pairs then petiolate, alternate, pendulous, ovate to broadly falcate, to 18 cm long, 6 cm wide, glaucous; adult leaves petiolate, alternate, lanceolate or falcate, 8–16 cm long, 1–2.5 cm wide, concolorous, glossy, green; reticulation very sparse, with numerous island oil glands. Inflorescences axillary, unbranched; peduncles to 1.8 cm long, 7–11-flowered; buds pedicellate, clavate, often warty, to 0.7 cm long, 0.3 cm diam., no scar (single operculum); operculum conical to beaked; stamens irregularly flexed; anthers dorsifixed, reniform; ovules in 2 vertical rows; flowers white. Fruit shortly pedicellate, urceolate, to 1.1 cm long, 1.1 cm diam.; disc descending; valves 4 or 5, below rim; seed black, glossy, smooth, pyramidal but distorted by one curved face, hilum terminal. Flowers Dec.–Feb.
EGL, EGU. Also NSW. In Victoria confined to the Howe Range east of Mallacoota, where found in gullies and on ridges.
Distinguished by the black butt, upper smooth, white bark with scribbles, glossy leaves and urceolate fruit.
