Eucalyptus camaldulensisRiver Red Gum

Eucalyptus camaldulensis has the widest natural range of any eucalypt, following watercourses right across inland Australia, and it carries that adaptability into cultivation. It is fast, very large, and close to indifferent to heat, drought, seasonal flooding and saline or alkaline soil.

The bark is its other distinction: smooth and shedding in ribbons to leave a mottled white, grey and salmon trunk that is a landscape feature in its own right. It has been planted for shade and shelter across North Africa and the Middle East for more than a century.

Specifications

• Height20 to 30 metres, and taller on deep soils
• Width15 to 25 metres
• Native toInland Australia, following watercourses across the continent
• FoliageNarrow, lance-shaped, grey-green leaves hanging from pendulous branchlets; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilTolerates a very wide range, including heavy clay, saline and alkaline soils, and seasonal waterlogging
• LightFull sun
• WaterLow; drought-tolerant once established and able to draw on deep moisture
• ClimateThrives in arid, semi-arid, Mediterranean and warm temperate regions

Additional Features

• FormA broad open crown over a smooth trunk that sheds in ribbons to a mottled white, grey and salmon surface
• UsesShade, shelterbelts, windbreaks, riparian planting and reclamation work on large sites
• SpacingPlant 10 to 15 metres apart, and well clear of buildings, paving and service runs
• Low MaintenanceLittle routine work is needed, though limb shedding means it should not be planted over parking or seating
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust, with lerp and borer pressure in some regions
• Drought ToleranceAmong the most drought-hardy large trees in commercial cultivation
• Salt ToleranceGrows on saline and alkaline soils that defeat most large trees
• Wildlife AttractionNectar and, in mature trees, hollows support birds and bats

The River Red Gum is the large-scale shelter and shade tree for hard, hot, saline ground, provided it is given the room it needs.