stringybark

right|200px|thumb|Stringybark of Eucalyptus globoidea A stringybark is any of various Eucalyptus species which have thick, fibrous bark. Like all eucalypts, stringybarks belong to the family Myrtaceae.

==Name origin== Although eucalypts (gum tree) specimens had been collected earlier, the names "stringybark" and "eucalyptus" derive from a specimen collected on James Cook's third expedition to Bruny Island, off the coast of Tasmania. The specimen was sent to the British Museum in London, where it was named Eucalyptus obliqua by French botanist Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1788. This species, also known as "messmate stringybark" is the type specimen for all Eucalyptus species. That species of eucalypt has fibrous stringy bark covering its trunk, leading to the name "stringybark". The origins of the name "messmate" is unknown, and it is also used for several other species of eucalypt.