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Article from New Trees by John Grimshaw & Ross Bayton
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'Eucalyptus crenulata' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Tree to 16 m. Bark rough, compact and grey on the lower trunk; smooth and grey to greyish brown above. Branchlets white or coppery red. Juvenile leaves sessile, ovate to cordate, crenulate and glaucous; rather similar to adult leaves. Adult leaves opposite and glaucous, 3.5–6.5 × 3–5.5 cm, broadly ovate, lateral veins distinct, margins crenulate, apex apiculate; petiole absent or terete and to 0.6 cm long. Inflorescences axillary and solitary; umbellasters with 7–11 flowers. Flower buds ovoid, beaked and glaucous; hypanthium 0.3–0.4 cm wide; stamens white or cream. Capsule cylindrical, 0.4–0.6 cm diameter and initially glaucous; valves three to four, included. Chippendale 1988. Distribution AUSTRALIA: Victoria (valley of the Acheron River). Habitat Forms pure stands, in swampy areas along watercourses. USDA Hardiness Zone 8– 9. Conservation status Not evaluated (IUCN), but regarded as endangered in Australia as it occurs in only two small natural populations (Dept. of Environment, Water, Heritage & Arts 2008).
Although rare in the wild, Eucalyptus crenulata is well established in horticulture, and seed from cultivated trees is freely available. As a mature tree it is apt to be short and somewhat crooked, but forms a nice rounded crown of silvery foliage. Leaf shape and posture change little between the juvenile and adult phases, leaves in both cases being held in stiff opposite pairs, but juvenile foliage is slightly more glaucous. The flowers, which can appear as early as the third year from seed, are individually small, held on short pedicels in the leaf axils, but are so numerous that they make a showy display along the length of the shoots. In cultivation E. crenulata is quite fast-growing, achieving 10 m or so in five years both in Oxfordshire and in Oregon (G. Cooper, S. Hogan, pers. comms. 2007). It is also considered to be among the hardiest species of Eucalyptus (Gum Group 2007), usually tolerating –12 ºC before being damaged; in the event that the main stem is killed, however, it does also coppice well. It has not been widely planted, but is grown in several specialist collections in the Pacific Northwest as well as in the British Isles.