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Spinning Gum: cold hardy Eucalyptus from Alpine Australia (II)Notes on phenology and cultivation in cold temperate climatesGustavo Iglesias Trabado
GIT Forestry Consulting - Consultoría y Servicios de Ingeniería Agroforestal - www.git-forestry.com - EUCALYPTOLOGICS A few weeks ago, the Spinning Gums started blooming in Galicia. After the initial stages, when a small number of flower bud clusters reach anthesis randomly, the peak flowering season was reached by late July, causing havoc among local bees.
Fig. 1: Peak of flower blooming season in a Spinning Gum (E. perriniana) growing in Galicia (NW Spain). Juvenile & intermediate foliage are present during the first flowering seasons. (Click image to enlarge)GIT Forestry Consulting & Eucalyptologics are proud to report that after a shy first flowering season, the second season after reaching reproductive maturity has allowed this Eucalyptus to bloom freely and profusely, while new flower buds keep developing for further flowering in the next years. Reproductive cycle will be complete in some months, so this cold hardy eucalypt species can be considered fully viable and well acclimatised for our local conditions.
The pictured tree is the first of its kind successfully grown and acclimatised in Galicia (Northwestern Spain). And hopefully, the first of many to grow in the near future. For a description of the climatic types well endured by this species, just check our previous post "Spinning Gum, cold hardy Eucalyptus from Alpine Australia. Notes on phenology and cultivation in cold temperate climates".
Phenologic notes on E. perriniana in Galicia
- Flower bud initiation: May/June (late spring, early summer)
- Flower bud maturity: +10 /+12 months (late spring, summer)
- Flowering period: May/August (summer, peak in July)
- Seed pod maturity: +20 /+25 months since flower bud initiation
- Simultaneous reproductive cycles: 1 cycle of immature flower buds + 1 cycle of seed pods in maturation + 1 cycle of ripe or senescent seed pods can be present at once in the same specimen
Spinning Gum, another Eucalyptus acclimatised to Scandinavia
Fig. 3: Peak of flower blooming season in a Spinning Gum (E. perriniana) growing in Denmark. Juvenile & intermediate foliage are present during the first flowering seasons. (Click image to enlarge)Our good friend Frank Diron at Eucalyptus Haven (www.eucalyptushaven.dk) reports similar success and acclimatisation for the specimens of Spinning Gum growing at latitude 55ºN (roughly the same as Moscow!) in his Eucalyptus collection at Fanø Island in Denmark. 
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Spinning Gum: cold hardy Eucalyptus from Alpine AustraliaNotes on phenology and cultivation in cold temperate climatesGustavo Iglesias Trabado
GIT Forestry Consulting - Consultoría y Servicios de Ingeniería Agroforestal - www.git-forestry.com - EUCALYPTOLOGICS Eucalyptus perriniana have started blooming in Galicia this year. A bit of delayed this time, as we have observed them blooming since early June in previous years, they remain eye catching in any season none the less.
Fig 1: Intermediate leaves and blooms of a Spinning Gum (E. perriniana) flowering in the Tablelands of Galicia (NW Spain). (Click image to enlarge)
First discovered in Tasmania by 1893 and named after forester George S. Perrin, the Spinning Gum or Eucalyptus perriniana is one of the examples of frost tolerant Eucalyptus having unique ornamental features. Its vernacular name makes emphasis on dry juvenile leaves, which are connate, so fused at their base to surround branchlets completely, detaching and spinning freely around themselves when wind blows.
Fig 2: Intermediate leaves and early flower buds of a Spinning Gum (E. perriniana) during winter in the Tablelands of Galicia (NW Spain). (Click image to enlarge)
But this striking ornamental foliage is not the only source of interest from an horticultural standpoint. When cultivated in suitable climate, the Spinning Gum flowers freely and profusely yet in juvenile leaf stage, adding seasonal interest to its cultivation.
Fig 3: Juvenile leaves and blooms of a Spinning Gum (E. perriniana) during summer in the Tablelands of Galicia (NW Spain). Note the swollen flower buds approaching anthesis. (Click image to enlarge)
Native to high montane plateaux in the subalpine regions of Eastern Victoria and South-Eastern New South Wales, and also to limited areas in Central Tasmania, it is distributed in scattered and normally reproductively isolated populations, possibly meaning variation in its attributes depending on seed provenance or lineages in cultivation.
Fig 4: General outlook of a reproductively mature Spinning Gum (E. perriniana) during summer and winter prior to summer bloominmg in the Tablelands of Galicia (NW Spain). (Click image to enlarge)
Referenced as cold hardy to lowest minima in the range of -15ºC, this eucalypt can be safely cultivated in USDA Zone 8 and the mildest part of USDA Zone 7. The pictured specimen, first of its kind taken to blooming stage in Galicia, thrives in a frost prone area in USDA Zone 8b, and has survived unscathed lowest minima of -10ºC, not affecting its crown development or flowering process.Phenologic notes on E. perriniana in Galicia
- Flower bud initiation: May/June (late spring, early summer)
- Flower bud maturity: +10 /+12 months (late spring, summer)
- Flowering period: May/August (summer, peak in July)
- Seed pod maturity: +20 /+25 months since flower bud initiation
- Simultaneous reproductive cycles: 1 cycle of immature flower buds + 1 cycle of seed pods in maturation + 1 cycle of ripe or senescent seed pods can be present at once in the same specimen
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