EUCALYPTUS mannifera ssp. praecox

Highly ornamental tree with rounded to ovate juvenile foliage 10-20 metres that forms a graceful habit. Commonly known as the brittle gum or red spotted gum is an attractive tree with a smooth powdery white trunk that is often mottled with mainly greyish or sometimes red patches.
Produces lance shaped or curved foliage 1-12cm, flower buds occur in groups of seven open to display white flowers that occur between January and May.

The rounded juvenile foliage is popular in floral arrangements.

An excellent shade or specimen tree that occurs naturally on the Central and Southern Tablelands of NSW as well as the ACT and Victoria.

Grow notes:

Eucalypt's germinate readily from seed and are generally considered to be 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, avoid the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 18-22°C

1. Sow seed at a depth of 1-2 mm in a seed raising mix.
2. Water with fine mist spray to avoid disturbance of the seed.
3. Place in a warm shaded or semi shaded position to avoid dying out.
4. Keep warm & moist, avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.
5. 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.