The trunk is straight, usually unbranched for more than half of the total height of the tree and has a girth of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) dbh.

[10] The forest red gum is one of the key canopy species of the threatened Cumberland Plain Woodlands.

[16] Subspecies basaltica grows in eucalypt woodland from Kroombit Tops to near Sydney with a disjunct population in the Carnarvon Range.

Subspecies mediana is endemic to eastern Victoria where it grows near river banks, wetlands, low hills and plains.

Subspecies rotunda is endemic to a small area near Mitchell in Queensland, growing along creek banks.