EUCALYPTOLOGICS: GIT Forestry Consulting Information Resources on Eucalyptus Cultivation Worldwide :: EUCALYPTOLOGICS: GIT Forestry Consulting Recursos de Informacion sobre Cultivo Sostenible de Eucalyptus :: Information Resources on Eucalyptus Cultivation Worldwide

Tom Hart Dyke, worldwide plant hunter, creator of World Gardens and avid plant collector able to make Silver Princesses bloom strikes again with yet another horticultural success.

In the grounds of Lullingstone Castle, one of the rarest Eucalyptus species has bloomed for the first time to become the first acclimatized specimen of its kind in the UK.

(Click image to enlarge for a full print)

Back in 1999, while plant hunting in Tasmania, Tom carefully collected a small amount of seed from one of the rarest tree species in the island and one of the least common eucalypts in cultivation around the world, Eucalyptus morrisbyi. And from those seeds, these blooms.

The late "casual" discovery of the species by Robert Brett in 1939 and its scarcity in the wild had prevented it from becoming widely cultivated overseas, as it happens with more common eucalypts. This endangered endemism is nowadays at risk of disappearing in its natural habitat due to poor recruiting of new seedlings, genetic contamination, ocasional drought and browsing. Just some 2000 specimens of Morrisby's Gum are known to survive in wild populations, as its main habitat was cleared for other uses by early settlers many moons before the trees were discovered.

Fortunately, a keen interest from researchers at the School of Plant Science (UTAS) to work out the problems and outline solutions for conservation of this gum tree, plus a proper support from competent administrative bodies in Tasmania mean that E. morrisbyi is currently under the protective umbrella of a recovery plan. May it always be.

For cultivation overseas, like Tom, use respectfully collected seed, or better if sourced from ex situ plantings.

Interesting Literature

Threatened Species Section (2006). Flora Recovery Plan: Morrisby’s gum, Eucalyptus morrisbyi Year 2006-2010. Department of Primary Industries and Water, Hobart. ISBN 0 7246 6354 1

Jones, RC; McKinnon, GE; Potts, BM & Vaillancourt, RE (2005) Genetic diversity and mating system of an endangered tree Eucalyptus morrisbyi. Australian Journal of Botany, 53 (4). pp. 367-377. ISSN 0067-1924

Jones, RC; McKinnon, GE; Wiltshire, RJE; Potts, BM & Vaillancourt, RE (2005) Conservation genetics of an endangered endemic, Eucalyptus morrisbyi. Advances in Plant Conservation Biology, implications for flora management and restoration : symposium program and abstracts 25-27 October 2005 / Dept. of Conservation & Land Management, Botanic Gardens & Parks Authority, Perth, Western Australia, pp. 29.

Wiltshire, RJE; Potts, BM & Reid, JB (1991) Phenetic affinities, variability and conservation status of a rare Tasmanian endemic, Eucalyptus morrisbyi R.G. Brett. In Banks, MR; Smith, SJ; Orchard, AE & Kantvilas, G. (Eds.) Aspects of Tasmanian Botany – A Tribute to Winifred Curtis. 31(3): 213-229. Royal Society of Tasmania, Hobart.