Eucalyptus cornuta

Cultivation Details

Eucalyptus cornuta is native to the Mediterranean climate of southwestern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 300 metres. Summers are warm to hot with a dry season of 3 - 5 months, most rainfall occurs in the winter months. Mean annual rainfall is within the range 750 - 1,400mm; mean maximum of the hottest month is 25°c; mean minimum of the coldest month is 7°c, frosts are few and light^[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -2°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at 0°c^[2]. Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a range of light to medium-textured, well-drained soils of low to moderate fertility^[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7^[2]. The plant develops a lignotuber - this is a woody tuber that starts to develop near the base of seedlings and can become massive in the mature plants of some species. It possesses embedded vegetative buds, allowing the plant to regenerate following crown destruction, for example by fire^[3]. There are limited prospects for planting unless a wood with outstanding strength qualities is required^[1]. The tree has been successful in plantings outside Australia. A plot at Concordia, South Africa, in silvicultural Zone D grew to a height of 30 metres and a mean diameter of 23cm in 32 years on deep sands, but the trees were reported as being branchy and crooked. The species was grown in Cyprus and other Mediterranean countries for many years, but hybridized with other species and is now largely superseded. It was vigorous in winter-rainfall conditions in Chile, but is not a preferred species there. Specimens are healthy in California. It was not successful in Brazil where the climate is very different from that in its natural range^[1]. Eucalyptus species have not adopted a deciduous habit and continue to grow until it is too cold for them to do so. This makes them more susceptible to damage from sudden cold snaps. If temperature fluctuations are more gradual, as in a woodland for example, the plants have the opportunity to stop growing and become dormant, thus making them more cold resistant. A deep mulch around the roots to prevent the soil from freezing also helps the trees to survive cold conditions^[4]. Many members of this genus are remarkably adaptable however, and there can be a dramatic increase in the hardiness of subsequent generations from the seed of survivors growing in temperate zones^[4].