Corymbia terminalis is a tree that typically grows to a height of 18 metres (59 ft), rarely a mallee, and forms a lignotuber.

The description was published in the Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Botany from samples collected from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory in 1856.

The Australian Plant Census regards C. tumescens as a synonym but it is considered by the National Herbarium of New South Wales to be distinct.

[1][6][9][10] The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word terminalis meaning terminal in reference to the placement of the inflorescences on the branchlets outside the crown.

[12] The flowers of Corymbia terminalis produce drops of nectar which provide a high energy food source for many desert animals including honeyeaters, insects and possums.

[14] The red bark kino can be stripped from the tree and mixed in water, then consumed for diarrhoea as well as for indigestion and chest pain.