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Corymbia torelliana
Myrtaceae FAMILY

Corymbia torelliana

Corymbia torelliana

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

Corymbia torelliana is native to the moist, tropical lowland climate of northeastern Australia, where it is found at elevations from 100 - 800 metres. Rainfall occurs in the hot season, with a mean annual rainfall within the range 1,000 - 1,500mm and a dry season that is not usually severe of up to 3 months. The mean maximum temperature of the hottest month is 29°c; mean minimum temperature of the coldest month is 10 - 16°c, and there are usually no frosts or very occasional light frosts[1, 2]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -2°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[3]. Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a range of light to medium-textured, well-drained soils of low to moderate fertility[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[3]. Corymbia torelliana is often grown as an ornamental outside its native range in eastern Australia. It has spread from cultivation into disturbed and relatively undisturbed areas of rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest, where it seems to compete very successfully with local species. It is an acknowledged environmental weed in the greater Brisbane area[4]. The tree is windfirm[3]. This species hybridizes rather readily with other bloodwoods and F1 hybrids made with a light crowned species may improve the ability of the light-crowned species to shade out undergrowth[2]. Whilst most Corymbia species, grown in small numbers outside their native range, can be an attractive and useful addition to the landscape, certain species (including this one) are more problematic. When grown in monocultures, especially outside their native range, they can become an environmental disaster. They are voracious, especially in their use of water; they are allelopathic, inhibiting the growth of the native flora; they reduce habitats for native fauna; and encourage the worst possible attitudes to land use and conservation[5].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a seedtray in a sunny position and do not allow the compost to dry out[6, 7, 8]. Species that come from high altitudes appreciate 6 - 8 weeks cold stratification at 2°c[5]. Pot up the seedlings into individual pots as soon as the second set of seed leaves has developed, if left longer than this they might not move well. Seedlings are planted out in the field when they reach a height of about 25 cm. This should coincide with the onset of the rainy season in tropical countries[1]. The seed has a long viability[5]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Corymbia+torelliana>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]Eucalypts for Planting — Jacobs M.R. · FAO; Rome · 1981 · http://www.fao.org · ISBN 92-5-100570-2 ↩︎An excellent publication, rather dated now but with a wealth of information about the Eucalypts. It can be downloaded from the Internet as a PDF file.
  3. [3]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  4. [4]EUCLID - Eucalypts of Australia — Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Canber · http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org:8080/euclid/data/02050e02-0108-490e-8900-0e0601070d00/media/Html/index.htm ↩︎A website dedicated to the genus Eucalyptus (sensu latu), with descriptions and nomencultural information on all the species.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  7. [7]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  8. [8]Growing from Seed. Volume 2. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1988 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
  9. [9]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
  10. [10]Eucalyptus Leaf Oils: Use, Chemistry, Distillation and Marketing — Southwell I.A. · 1992 · https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(92)80403-2 ↩︎An extensive list of Eucalyptus species and their essential oil content.
  11. [11]Australian Timber handbook — Wallis N.K. · Angus & Robertson; Sydney · 1970 · ISBN 0-207-12053-6 ↩︎A comprehensive book about the uses of timber in Australia, it includes a section with information on the properties of the more commonly used woods in Australia
  12. [12]Flora of South-eastern Queensland (3 volumes) — Stanley T.D. & Ross E.M. · Queensland Government; Queensland · 1983 · ISBN 0-7242-2127-1 ↩︎