Eucalyptus elliptica

Eucalyptus elliptica, nicknamed the Bendemeer white gum tree, is a unique species distinguished by its white bark. This medium-sized eucalyptus quickly takes on the shape of a beautiful specimen, undemanding and attractive all year round with its particularly decorative bark and evergreen, aromatic foliage, with bluish hues. Its cream-white flowering is quite insignificant, in the midst of the mass of foliage, but extremely fragrant and attractive to bees. With a hardiness of -10 to -12°C (14 to 10.4 °F), it will prefer a temperate coastal climate, in dry to moist soil, well-drained and not too dry in summer. Fast-growing, in less than 10 years, it is capable of forming a remarkable tree that will structure the landscape in gardens large enough to accommodate it.

Eucalyptus elliptica, synonymous with E. mannifera subsp. elliptica, is an endemic species of eastern Australia, particularly the regions northeast of New South Wales from Barrington Tops National Park to the Bendemeer and Walcha regions. On granitic hills, it thrives in a subtropical highland climate with strong continental influences, which gives a cold atmosphere in winter and mild to warm in summer. Belonging to the Myrtaceae family, it is commonly called: Bendemeer white gum or sometimes brittle gum. According to the original description by William Faris Blakely (1875-1941), an Australian botanist and collector, the name Eucalyptus elliptica comes from the Latin ellipticus which means elliptical, in reference to the shape of the fruit.

This eucalyptus forms a tree, with an upright habit on a straight trunk or with a spreading habit on several large twisted branches. Fast-growing, in its natural environment, it reaches a height of 15 to 20 m (49 ft 2 in to 65 ft 7 in) and a span of 10 to 15 m (32 ft 10 in to 49 ft 2 in). It generally rises on a single trunk that comes from a stump called lignotuber* located just below the surface of the soil. When young it has rounded branches, bearing juvenile foliage, composed of leaves, without petioles, opposite, ovate to elliptical, 2 to 10 cm (0.8 to 3.9 in) long by 2 to 6 cm (0.8 to 2.4 in) wide, blue-green or glaucous. Then, as it develops, the leaves are petiolate, alternate and take on a lanceolate to crescent shape, 8 to 20 cm (3.1 to 7.9 in) long by 1.5 to 3 cm (0.6 to 1.2 in) wide, of a pretty bright green. The leaves are tough, very aromatic and emit a menthol fragrance when crushed, rich in eucalyptol. As it ages, the bark peels off in irregular plates, revealing a smooth, powdery, white underlayer with yellow, orange or grey spots. The flowering occurs mainly in spring and early summer, but occasionally at other times. It does not constitute a real interest, drowned in the mass of foliage. The inflorescence, arranged in the leaf axil, on a short peduncle, is composed of 7 floral buds gathered in a tight umbel and blossoms into small flowers with numerous cream-white anthers, forming a pompom. Rich in nectar, they are very attractive to bees and birds. After flowering, the fruits, called “gumnuts“, appear in the form of a woody, hemispherical capsule, which contains brown-black seeds 1 to 2 mm (0 to 0.1 in) long.

This eucalyptus has a *lignotuber, made up of a swelling rich in starch that forms on the roots just below the surface of the soil. This organ allows it to grow again from the stump in case of severe frost, fire or hard pruning. The plant also produces numerous shoots from dormant buds located under its bark, allowing it to respond well to coppicing, topping or more severe pruning.

The White Gum of Bendemeer finds a place in a large garden, planted alone, in an open space, to appreciate the beauty of its bark and the elegance of its foliage. In order to highlight its architectural habit, it is trained on a single trunk. This attractive and robust tree brings quite an unusual touch in a wide range of situations, including in cold and humid regions. As much as it copes well with cold and hot summers, in poor soils, it dislikes periods of long droughts and soils that are too clayey or too chalky. Comfortable in moist but not marshy soils, it has the ability to dry them out. With a highly developed root system, care must be taken when choosing its location, keeping it away from the foundations of a house or from pipes.