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Myrtaceae FAMILY

Eucalyptus tetrodonta

Eucalyptus tetrodonta

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

Eucalyptus tetradonta is native to the tropical monsoon climate of northern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 300 metres. The mean annual rainfall is within the range 750 - 1,500mm and there is a dry season that is usually severe of up to 7 months. The mean maximum temperature of the hottest month is 35°c; mean minimum temperature of the coldest month is 5°c, and there are usually no frosts[1]. Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a range of light to medium-textured, well-drained soils of 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]. The plant also develops adventitious shoots on its lateral roots[3].

Propagation

Seed - no pre-treatment is required[4]. Surface sow in a sunny position and make sure the compost is not allowed to dry out[5, 6, 7]. Species that come from high altitudes appreciate 6 - 8 weeks cold stratification at 2°c[8]. Germination is good and uniform, with 30 - 70% within 14-30 days[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. 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[8]. Vegetative propagation has been carried out successfully from ligno-tuberous tissue, from branch cuttings from 2 - 3 year-old saplings, and from epicormic shoots from older trees. In Congo, 60% rooting success has been obtained from cuttings[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Eucalyptus+tetrodonta>

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]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.
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]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.
  7. [7]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.
  8. [8]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.
  9. [9]Native Tastes of Australia — http://tasteaustralia.biz/ ↩︎A website with detailed information on around 50 species of native Australian food plants, including recipes.
  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.