It has rough, tessellated bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and barrel-shaped, urn-shaped or shortened spherical fruit.

Corymbia petalophylla is a tree that typically grows to a height of 15 m (49 ft) and forms a lignotuber.

[2][3] This bloodwood was first formally described in 1991 by Ian Brooker and Anthony Bean who gave it the name Eucalyptus petalophylla and published the description in the journal Austrobaileya.

[2][3] Corymbia petalophylla grows with C. trachyphloia, C. watsoniana and Eucalyptus baileyana, in soil derived from granite and occurs in the Burnett district of south-eastern Queensland.

[3] This eucalypt is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992.