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Myrtaceae FAMILY

Eucalyptus exserta

Eucalyptus exserta

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

Eucalyptus exserta is native to the tropical and subtropical climate of eastern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 400 metres. Summers are hot and wet, with mild ,drier winters and a dry season of 2 - 3 months. Mean annual rainfall is within the range 450 - 1,100mm; mean maximum temperature of the hottest month is 35°c; mean minimum temperature of the coldest month is 5°c, and there are generally few frosts[1]. Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a wide range of well-drained soils of moderate fertility[2]. Found in the wild in many soil types[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5[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].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a sunny position and make sure the compost is not allowed to dry out[4, 5, 6]. Species that come from high altitudes appreciate 6 - 8 weeks cold stratification at 2°c[7]. Seeds germinate in 4 - 20 days with a germination rate of 50 - 60%[8]. 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. The seedlings are ready for planting in the field when they are 25 - 30 cm tall, usually after 3 - 4 months. The seed has a long viability[7]. Vegetative propagation is possible from branch cuttings taken from trees less than 2 years old. Best results are obtained from cuttings containing a stem node and a segment of a leaf. Hormones such as indole-acetic acid, indole-butyric acid or nephthalene acid will improve the success rate[8]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Eucalyptus+exserta>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]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.
  7. [7]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.
  8. [8]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.
  9. [9]Flora of South-eastern Queensland (3 volumes) — Stanley T.D. & Ross E.M. · Queensland Government; Queensland · 1983 · ISBN 0-7242-2127-1 ↩︎
  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.