Eucalyptus leucoxylon Rosea

Eucalyptus leucoxylon Rosea is a charming and elegant small tree. At the end of summer, it produces a quantity of beautiful flowers with red or pink stamens, very attractive to bees and birds. Its long evergreen leaves of a beautiful grey-green are particularly aromatic and its trunk is surprisingly decorative in adulthood, when the barks detach irregularly. Hardy down to - 5°C (41 °F), it requires a sunlit and sheltered location. It tolerates any type of soil, even poor, as long as it is well-draining and neutral or acidic pH, or even slightly alkaline (limestone). Tolerant to dry conditions once established, it will need watering to settle. Withstanding pruning well, this eucalyptus is able to adapt its root system to its vegetation, which allows it to contain its height to the space given to it. Thus, it can be installed in a small garden, integrated into a plant composition alongside Mediterranean bushes, or given a prime spot, in isolation or in a group, in a larger space.

The Eucalyptus leucoxylon, also named Eucalyptus leucoxylon subsp. megalocarpa is a species endemic to the plains and coastal mountains near or in South Australia, where it is known as the Blue Gum and its presence continues in the western half of the state of Victoria, where it is known as the Yellow Gum. The white trunk of this eucalyptus gives the species its name: leucoxylon, which comes from the Greek "leuco" for "white" and "xylon" for "wood". Megalocarpa, in Latin, means "large fruit".

The 'Rosea’ variety comes from the coastal regions in the extreme south-east of South Australia and in the adjoining areas of the extreme west of Victoria. This eucalyptus lives in an arid environment and easily tolerates heat, wind, drought and heavy or rocky soils. With quite slow growth, less than a metre per year, it forms a beautiful, medium-sized, branching tree, reaching 7 to 9 m (23 to 29 ft 6 in) in height, for 4 to 6 m (13 ft  to 20 ft) in span, if, it is regularly pruned and trained on several trunks. Unpruned, on a single trunk, it can reach 10 to 20 m (33 ft to 66 ft). Its frame is made up of several stems starting from a lignotuber* located just below the soil surface. The young green shoots are slightly pink and bear dense juvenile foliage, composed of small matte blue-green ovate leaves. Then as it develops, the leaves take a lanceolate to crescent shape, 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long by 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) wide, matte green. The tough, very fragrant leaves, produce a lot of essential oil and can be distilled for the production of cineole-based eucalyptus oil (eucalyptol). As it ages, the bark of the trunk forms a smooth or rough mosaic ranging from white to cream-white through yellow and light blue as it detaches. The abundant flowering occurs mainly between August and October, depending on the summer weather conditions. The yellow floral buds, grouped in threes, bloom into a flower with numerous red or pink anthers, forming a pompon 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) in diameter. Rich in nectar, they are very attractive to bees. After flowering, the fruits, called "gumnut", appear in the form of a woody, globular, truncate capsule, attached to the branch by a short petiole. They are a beautiful whitish-grey colour and remain attached to the stem for a long time.

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

Eucalyptus leucoxylon Rosea finds a place in the garden, planted in isolation, in a clear space, to appreciate the beauty of its barks and the elegance of its foliage. In order to highlight its architectural habit, it is trained on a single trunk or in multi-trunks. This plant resists summer drought with little or no irrigation in well-draining soil, even slightly limestone. It copes well with hot and dry summers, wind and sea spray. It is an ideal plant in a Mediterranean-type garden in association with Arbutus (Arbutus unedo), Callistemon (Bottlebrush), Pomegranates (Punica granatum), Olive Trees (Olea europaea), Mimosas, Pistacia lentiscus …