Eucalyptus Urnigera

Description

Eucalyptus Urnigera, Urn Gum

Hardy:	Very, frost hardy to -14°C
Soil:	Will survive in boggy areas and exposed locations.
Growth:	Fast, up to 1.5m per year in good conditions.
Height:	15m plus if left to grow, a spread of 7 -10m if stand alone. Making the Urnigera an attractive specimen tree for smaller gardens.
Biomass:	Good firewood, can be coppiced, polarded or logged

Eucalyptus Urnigera is mentioned in the Coford report on Eucalyptus trials in Ireland from the late 1850’s. The Coford report is linked to from the teagasc web site, and therefore can be considered authoritive. In brief the report states that survival rates for Urnigera are particularly high. Growth rate and DBH (diameter at breast height) are also high, so Eucalyptus Urnigera can be considered a suitable variety for cultivation in Ireland.

The leaves are Urn shaped, giving rise to the common name is Urn tree, from which the full name is derived.A tree for the small garden, it is easily pruned to shape, and also as a screening or ornamental hedge. The bark as in the photo below is attractive.

They are certainly hardy, the one in the photo below is growing in Tarbet Scotland. Its on the sheltered side of the peninsula, though there’s not a lot between it and the Atlantic gales, or the freezing Scottish winters ❄️ It’s evidently a mature tree. It looks like the trunk is corkscrewing upwards, though this is the bark patterning

Photo from Monumental Trees

left to grow and spread out the crown branches out into an attractive canopy.

The growth pattern is in many ways similar to Gunnii, with round, blue / grey juvenile foliage which matures to green elongated.

I have started growing some Urnigera for coppicing and firewood, and I will update with photos as they mature. In the meantime the Urnigera hedging has become thick, dense and sturdy in a little over a year. The photo below of a specimen Eucalyptus Urnigera

Strong healthy trees with good root growth establish quickly and will require minimal if any aftercareTrees regenerate in two ways:

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

Eucalyptus Urnigera have lignotubers, and coppice well. The are proposed as one of the varieties for firewood production in the UK, and have been grown for firewood in Ireland for some time.