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Myrtaceae FAMILY

Eucalyptus pauciflora

Eucalyptus pauciflora

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthMedium

Eucalyptus pauciflora is native to the temperate climate of southeastern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 1,800 metres. Rainfall can occur all year round, with a mean annual rainfall within the range 625 - 1,250mm and a non-severe dry season of up to 4 months. The mean maximum temperature of the hottest month is 28°c; mean minimum temperature of the coldest month ranges from -2 to +2 °c, and there are generally around 50 - 100 frosts a year[1]. A fairly cold-hardy species, the dormant tree tolerates long periods down to -8°c and short periods to -14°c[2], though it should not be planted in a frost pocket[2]. The young growth is more tender, however, and can be severely damaged at -1°c[3]. The subspecies niphophila is perhaps the hardiest species in this genus, it tolerates long periods down to -14°c and short periods as low as -20°c[2, 4]. Prefers a sunny position in a moderately fertile well-drained moisture retentive circum-neutral soil[4]. Succeeds in most soils but dislikes chalk or clay soils[5]. Tolerates poor soils, especially those low in mineral elements[4]. Tolerant of dry soils, drought and exposed maritime positions[6, 4], though its foliage may be burnt in such a position. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[3]. 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[7]. The tree has very limited potential as a crop. If protection forests must be planted in snow country, there are probably better species; it is a reasonable ornamental tree.. There is a good plantation in southern Brazil; and it is successful in places in Europe[1]. The subspecies niphophila is a very ornamental tree[8]. It grows very slowly in its first 2 or 3 years but is then capable of growing 1 metre or more a year[9]. It has been known to self-sow in Devon, southwestern England[8]. In Australia niphophila usually regenerates from the base after forest fires[10]. 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]. Plants are shallow-rooting and, especially in windy areas, should be planted out into their permanent positions when small to ensure that they do not suffer from wind-rock[11]. They strongly resent root disturbance and should be container grown before planting out into their permanent position[9]. This is one of the few eucalypts that can be transplanted easily as large specimens because it has a fibrous root system[12].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow late winter/early spring in a sunny position in a greenhouse[9, 13, 14]. Species that come from high altitudes appreciate 6 - 8 weeks cold stratification at 2°c[4]. 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. Plant out into their permanent positions in early summer and give them some protection from the cold in their first winter. The seed can also be sown in early summer, the young trees being planted in their final positions in late spring of the following year. The seed has a long viability[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Eucalyptus+pauciflora>

Pollinators

Bees

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]A Key to Eucalypts in Britain and Ireland. — Brooker. M. I. · HMSO · 1983 · ISBN 0-11-710192-3 ↩︎A Forestry commission booklet giving details of the more common Eucalyptus species grown in Britain. Good identification guide.
  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]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.
  5. [5]Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. — Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. F. · HMSO; London · 1982 · ISBN 0-11-710152-4 ↩︎Very comprehensive guide to growing trees and shrubs from seed. Not for the casual reader.
  6. [6]Shelter Trees and Hedges. — Rosewarne experimental horticultural station. · Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food · 1984 · ISBN - ↩︎A small booklet packed with information on trees and shrubs for hedging and shelterbelts in exposed maritime areas.
  7. [7]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.
  8. [8]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  9. [9]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.
  10. [10]A Field Guide to Australian Trees. — Holliday. I. and Hill. R. · Frederick Muller Ltd. · 1974 · ISBN 0-85179-627-3 ↩︎A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.
  11. [11]Scented Flora of the World. — Genders. R. · Robert Hale. London. · 1994 · ISBN 0-7090-5440-8 ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
  12. [12]Growing Native Plants — Australian National Botanic Gardens · http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/ ↩︎A series of articles giving details of cultivation and matters of general interest (including a few plant uses) on over 250 Australian plants.
  13. [13]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.
  14. [14]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.
  15. [15]Eucalypts. (2 volumes.) — Kelly. S. · Nelson, Melbourne · 1969 · ISBN - ↩︎A very readable book (in two volumes) on the many species of Eucalyptus trees in Australia.
  16. [16]Flora of Victoria. — Ewart. A. J. · University Press; Melbourne · 1930 ↩︎A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
  17. [17]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  18. [18]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  19. [19]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.
  20. [20]Effect of Athamanta sicula oil on inhibition of mild steel corrosion in 1M HCl — A. Bouyanzer et al · 2015 · http://derpharmachemica.com/archive.html · ISBN 0975-413X ↩︎Research paper on the value of plant extracts, especially Athamanta sicula, in protecting steel from acid corrosion.