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EUCALYPTUS saxatilis
Mt Wheeler Mallee, Suggan Buggan Mallee
Stock: Available
Family: Myrtaceae
Subfamily: Myrtoideae
Characteristics: Small tree to 5m
Seeds per packet: Approx 15
Small tree or mallee to 5 metres with attractive smooth powdery bark that is shed in short ribbons.
Bluish green juvenile leaves are ovate, opposite and glaucous. The adult leaves are narrow and lacelolate 10- 15 cm long and 1-2 cm wide.
Whitish flowers occur in clusters of three are followed by distinctly bell shaped fruits.
Endemic to Victoria.
Prefers a light to medium soil in an open sunny position. Drought and frost resistant
Photo credit Melburnian. CC BY 3.0
Eucalypt's germinate readily from seed and are generally considered one of the easiest natives to grow from seed.
Depending on the species Eucalyptus seed comes in various sizes from very fine to several millimetres long. As a rule of thumb seed that is fine should be sown on the surface of a porous mix and not buried. Seed 1 to 2 mm in diameter can be covered very lightly and seed from 2 mm up can be sown to a depth of the seed width.
Although seed can be sown most of the year in Australia seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn in temperate climates, avoid the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 18-22°C
- Sow seed on surface of a porous seed raising mix. The seed will lodge in the the pores of the mix once watered.
- Sprinkle a very light covering of the seed raising mix over the seed if required to hold the seed in place. Do not bury seed deeply.
- Water with fine mist spray to avoid disturbance of the seed.
- Place in a warm shaded or semi shaded position to avoid dying out.
- Keep warm & moist, avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.
- Germination generally occurs in around 10-28 days in the right condition.
General note: Seeds of many natives are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.
