Eucalyptus flowers: E. nitens & E. globulus in bloom. Bees and Eucalyptus Hybrids.

Phenology of E. globulus and E. nitens in Galicia (Northwestern Spain)

Gustavo Iglesias Trabado
GIT Forestry Consulting - Consultoría y Servicios de Ingeniería Agroforestal - www.git-forestry.com - EUCALYPTOLOGICS

We have already seen some previous example of eucalypts blooming. Today we will see some more!

Shining Gum: Eucalyptus nitens flowers

Fig. 1: Examples of flower buds, blooms and infrutescences in Eucalyptus nitens growing in Galicia (NW Spain)

Widely introduced into commercial scale plantings in Galicia as a frost hardy alternative to E. globulus of the inland tablelands and ranges, E. nitens most commonly appears at altitudes between 400 and 900 m, growing in a variety of soil types and site conditions.

Its fast growth, small flower size (clusters around 1 cm), relatively delayed maturation age compared to other species and loss of basal branches when planted in timber stands can make spotting its blooms a difficult task without using binoculars. We have observed it blooming from late April well into July, but some variation in these phenologic ranges can happen every year depending on climatic tendences and some variation does occur also at different altitudes.

Tasmanian Blue Gum: Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus flowers

Fig. 2: Examples of flower buds and blooms of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus growing in Galicia (NW Spain)

The classical species in the Atlantic coasts of Iberia (from Portugal to France), introduced in half the 19th century and widely planted in the milder coastal climates since mid 20th century, E. globulus ssp. globulus normally appears at altitudes between 0 and 500 m, also in a wide variety of soils and site conditions.

Spotting trees in bloom for this species is easy: it is one of the eucalypts with big flowers (3 to 7 cm diameter when blooming) and it does so profusely, covering the crowns with easily visible silvery white spots by the right time of the year and causing pollinator frenziness due to big amounts of nectar, which, keep me the secret, is also accessible to human beings and tastes certainly sweet. We have observed it blooming during winter and spring, from as early as late November to as late as the last weeks of May, with noticeable variation depending on tree age, microclimatic conditions and yearly climatic tendence making these extremes expand or contract depending on the year.

A jump ahead of seven steps: Eucalyptus "globens" or Eucalyptus "nitobulus"

For the sake of brevity (Bonum, si breve, bis bonum), after jumping from flower to flower "bee style", we jump ahead overcoming taxomomic, phisiologic, phenologic barriers, a bit more ahead overcoming seed collection, extraction and germination, a bit more ahead overcoming plant screening... et voilà!

Fig. 3: Example of Eucalyptus forestry species hybridisation: hybrid of E. globulus and E. nitens (E. nitens x globulus)

One of these days we will describe each small previous jump, and proceed further to yet another complex process: mass vegetative propagation!

The main driver should always be "Eucalyptus Heterosis can be exploited".

or, in the funny way...


Heteroid Eucalyptus Yields: Breed Elite Eucalypts!
(HEY BEE!)

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© 2007 Gustavo Iglesias Trabado. Please contact us if you want to use all or part of this text and photography elsewhere. We like to share, but we do not like rudeness.