Eucalyptus Camphora

Description

Eucalyptus Camphora, Swamp Gum

 

Hardy:	Medium, frost hardy to -10°C
Soil:	Grows natively in poorly drained sites, it will be happy in a wide range of soil types and drainage providing it gets sufficient hydration.
Growth:	Fast, 1.5 to 2m per year.
Height:	Usually 10m plus, can slowly reach 20m with maturity.
Flowering:	Spring.
Biomass:	Will coppice and grows vigorously, so a good choice for biomass, though Camphora is generally grown for the fragrance of the essential oils.
Essential oils:	Camphora is grown commercially for the fragrance of the essential oils.

The fragrance of crushed up Eucalyptus Camphora leaves of is very pleasant. You’ll need a still to separate the essential oils.

There are two sub species of Camphora:

• Camphora, which are those I am selling (Swamp Gum)
• Humeana, (Mountain Swamp Gum)

Both varieties produce emarginated tips as in those pictured below, though Humeana will have this leaf form more consistently. Both varieties are fragrant, and the name is derived from camphor for the essential oils of the leaves.

The attractive juvenile leaves of Humeana have an interesting elongated heart shape and are pale green. Not currently (2021) on the flavour of the month list for floral foliage, though as I say the leaves are attractive.

I will definitely try to source this seed of this subspecies 😉 though I note the sub species Camphora that I am currently selling also developed emarginated leaves, check out the video.

Native to South Eastern Australia Camphora grows in low lying swampy areas of the high plains.Camphora can be a tree for the garden

though if left to mature it will develop into a stately tree with a high crown

Like so many mallee Eucalypts, Eucalyptus Camphora will be full of character if exposed to the everything nature has to offer, animals, fire, wind…

Credit for photo below to National Trust Australia

Trees regenerate in two ways:

• The awakening of dormant buds at leaf and branch nodes
• Growing from the roots using lignotubers

Eucalyptus Camphora have lignotubers and can be pruned to a desired shape, or just to ensure its proportions if planted in a smaller garden.