Eucalyptus lacrimans L.A.S. Johnson & K.D. Hill

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Credits

Article from New Trees by John Grimshaw & Ross Bayton

Recommended citation
'Eucalyptus lacrimans' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/eucalyptus/eucalyptus-lacrimans/). Accessed 2024-10-04.

Common Names

  • Weeping Snow Gum

Glossary

strobilus
Cone. Used here to indicate male pollen-producing structure in conifers which may or may not be cone-shaped.
glaucous
Grey-blue often from superficial layer of wax (bloom).

References

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Credits

Article from New Trees by John Grimshaw & Ross Bayton

Recommended citation
'Eucalyptus lacrimans' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/eucalyptus/eucalyptus-lacrimans/). Accessed 2024-10-04.

Tree to 15 m. Bark smooth, powdery, white or grey throughout; shedding in short ribbons. Branchlets purplish grey. Juvenile leaves broad-lanceolate to ovate, 15 × 7 cm. Adult leaves thick and glossy green or greyish green, 7–15 × 0.7–2 cm, lanceolate to ovate, falcate, lateral veins distinct, margins entire, apex acuminate or apiculate; petiole 0.7–16 cm long. Inflorescences solitary and axillary; umbellasters with 7–11 flowers (or more). Flower buds club-shaped and glaucous; stamens white or cream. Capsule globose, hemispherical or conical, 0.5–0.9 cm diameter; valves three to four, included. Hill & Johnson 1991a. Distribution AUSTRALIA: New South Wales (Adaminaby-Kiandra district). Habitat Small, open copses on broad, flat, treeless grassy plains. USDA Hardiness Zone 7 8. Conservation status Not evaluated. Illustration NT325, NT343.

The Weeping Snow Gum was once assumed to be a pendulous form of Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila, but its separate identity is now accepted. Like the Snow Gum it is regarded as being very hardy, and it comes from a cold upland area where drainage is often poor and the soil waterlogged. Opinions on its attractions vary, some finding its sparse weeping habit attractive, while others consider it gawky. It tends to grow fast and upright when young, developing pendulous branches with age, but these can often give it a one-sided look, and it can also suffer from wind rock. On the other hand, this skinny effect can be quite useful where an open light tree is wanted. Ample space should be given to allow it to develop its shape fully, and perhaps an early coppicing would encourage the development of a fuller and more stable tree. The best forms have good glaucous leaves with white bark. There are a few larger examples in the United Kingdom, but it is significant that Owen Johnson’s notes on his 2006 measurements for TROBI of two specimens at Marwood Hill record that the champion (12 m) is a ‘poor thin tree still’, and another of 6 m is ‘straggly’.