EUCALYPTUS sideroxylon rosea

Eucalyptus sideroxylon rosea is one of the best-known of the Ironbarks. Ovate flower buds occur profusely in groups of 2-7 before opening to red from winter to summer.
The bark is a persistent and deep brown to black in colour. The greyish-green foliage is used for the extraction of volatile oils. 

Endemic to inland New South Wales.

Hardy in a wide range of soils and climates but prefers light to medium poor soil in an open sunny position, drought and frost-resistant.

Grow notes:

Eucalypts 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. Seeds 1 to 2 mm in diameter can be covered very lightly and seeds 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 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 the seed deeply.
3. Water with a 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, and 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.