Common Name: Shining Gum

General Information

Eucalyptus nitens is an evergreen tree that can grow 40 - 70 metres tall, occasionally reaching 90 metres. The long, straight bole can be unbranched for about 65% of the total tree height and 100 - 200cm in diameter[, ].
An important timber producer, the tree is harvested in quantity from the wild for its wood and is also cultivated, especially in Tasmania[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - Victoria, New South Wales

Habitat

Wet sclerophyll forest, often with Nothofagus species, usually on humus-rich well-drained soils; at elevations from 1,000 - 1,300 metres[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	55.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Insects, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Eucalyptus nitens is native to the temperate climate of southeastern Australia, where it is found at elevations from 1,000 - 1,300 metres. Rainfall can occur all year round, or be winter only, with a mean annual rainfall within the range 750 - 1,250mm or more and a non-severe dry season of up to 3 months. The mean maximum temperature of the hottest month is 21 - 24°c; mean minimum temperature of the coldest month ranges from -2 to +2 °c, and there are generally around 50 - 150 frosts a year with occasional snow[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -12°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at -1°c[].
Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a range of heavy to medium-textured, well-drained soils of high to moderate fertility[]. Requires a well-drained soil rich in organic matter for best growth[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[].
A very fast-growing species when young, trees 5 years old from seed have exceeded 16 metres in height[].
Annual wood production potential is 20 - 40 cubic metres per hectare[].
Trees will only coppice reliably up to the age of around 4 years[].
Eucalyptus nitens is a notoriously shy seeder, and seed collection tends to be concentrated on the occasional trees which carry seed. A high degree of selfing is suspected[]..
When crushed the juvenile leaves exude an odour somewhat like varnish[].
A very good species for vigour and volume growth. One of the more frost-resistant eucalypts. It handles well in nurseries; it tolerates root-pruning and can be prepared for bare-root planting in a suitable climate[].
The lower branches of young plantation trees tend to stand out at right angles to the trunk and do not shed as well as those of most eucalypts[].
The juvenile leaves of this species are unpalatable to many pests, in some cases even to the leaf-cutting Atta ants of Brazil, and the Australian possums which attack eucalypt foliage in New Zealand. The pests soon attack the adult leaves[].
It is one of the more promising eucalypts under trial outside Australia. It has proved very vigorous in Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States (California, Hawaii). There appear to be differences in behaviour, including incidence of defects, between provenances of Eucalyptus nitens. Poles in Natal, South Africa, show severe spiral grain, which has not been commented upon in native forests in Australia. The Wattle Research Institute of South Africa has recently established a provenance trial of 27 Australian and one South African seed lots (PWRI Annual Report 1975-76). The Australian seed lots covered a wide range of the species. Interesting variations in the size and shape of juvenile leaves and early height growth were noted. The more westerly Victorian provenances were proving superior in height growth at the time of the report[].
Eucalyptus species have not adopted a deciduous habit and continue to grow until it is too cold for them to do so. This makes them more susceptible to damage from sudden cold snaps. If temperature fluctuations are more gradual, as in a woodland for example, the plants have the opportunity to stop growing and become dormant, thus making them more cold resistant. A deep mulch around the roots to prevent the soil from freezing also helps the trees to survive cold conditions[]. Many members of this genus are remarkably adaptable however, and there can be a dramatic increase in the hardiness of subsequent generations from the seed of survivors growing in temperate zones[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The flowers are a good source of nectar for bees[].

Other Uses

An essential oil is obtained from the leaves. Total quantity of the oil, and its composition, can vary widely from plant to plant, but we have reports that the fresh leaves contain around 0.1 - 1.0% essential oil. The main components include pinene, limonene, 1,8- cineole, cis-ocimene, cymene, isoamyl isovalerate and terpineol[].

The pale pinkish to straw-coloured wood is straight-grained, tough, not very durable, light in weight for a eucalypt with a density of 670 kg/m3. Easy to work, it is used in general building construction, flooring, joinery, panelling, furniture, and pulp for paper[, ]. It is not a favoured wood in Australia but used for general sawnwood purposes[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow late winter/early spring in a sunny position in a greenhouse[, , ]. Species that come from high altitudes appreciate 6 - 8 weeks cold stratification at 2°c[]. Pot up the seedlings into individual pots as soon as the second set of seed leaves has developed, if left longer than this they might not move well. Plant out into their permanent positions in early summer and give them some protection from the cold in their first winter. The seed can also be sown in early summer, the young trees being planted in their final positions in late spring of the following year. The seed has a long viability[].