EUCALYPTUS leucoxylon ssp. megalocarpa (red fls) 250g

A hardy highly ornamental upright spreading tree with smooth bark and long grey-green pendulous branches that makes an ideal shade or specimen tree.

Juvenile leaves are slightly blue-green, ovate to cordate in shape, and up to 10 cm long. The large adult leaves are green and lanceolate in shape and up to 19 cm long.

Red flowers (rare in this species) in clusters of three occur from late winter to early summer which attracts nectar-eating birds and insects. Flowers especially attract bees which are an excellent source of honey.

The wood was used to make fighting sticks and shields by indigenous peoples.

Adaptable to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. Drought tolerant and resistant to moderate frost.

Grow notes:

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 many parts of Australia seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn in temperate climates, avoiding the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 18-22°C

1. Sow seed on the surface of a porous seed raising mix. The seed will lodge in the pores of the mix once watered.
2. 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.
3. Water with fine mist spray to avoid disturbance of the seed.
4. Place in a warm shaded or semi-shaded position to avoid dying out.
5. Keep warm & moist, avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.
6. 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.