Common Name: Grey Ironbark

General Information

Eucalyptus paniculata is an evergreen tree with a heavy, compact crown; it can grow 30 - 50 metres tall. The bole is straight and can be 100 - 150cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood and is also grown in plantations.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - New South Wales, southeastern Queensland

Habitat

Found on a range of topography from valley bottoms to the slopes and tops of ridges and hills; at elevations up to 500 metres[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	35.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Eucalyptus paniculata is native to the warm temperate and subtropical climate of southeastern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 500 metres. Rainfall can occur all year round, with a mean annual rainfall within the range 820 - 1,250mm. The mean maximum temperature of the hottest month is 24 - 29°c; mean minimum temperature of the coldest month is 2 - 5°c, and frosts are rare[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -3°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at 0°c[].
Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a range of light to medium-textured, well-drained soils of low to moderate fertility[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 6.5, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
The plant develops a lignotuber - this is a woody tuber that starts to develop near the base of seedlings and can become massive in the mature plants of some species. It possesses embedded vegetative buds, allowing the plant to regenerate following crown destruction, for example by fire[].
Trees can be grown with an 8 - 15 year rotation for the production of poles[].
Annual wood production potential is 9 - 18 cubic metres per hectare[].
Whilst most Eucalyptus species, grown in small numbers outside their native range, can be an attractive and useful addition to the landscape, certain species (including this one) are more problematic. When grown in monocultures, especially outside their native range, they can become an environmental disaster. They are voracious, especially in their use of water; they are allelopathic, inhibiting the growth of the native flora; they reduce habitats for native fauna; and encourage the worst possible attitudes to land use and conservation[].
This species has promising prospects for planting. It is a good to very good plantation species[].
There are excellent plantations of the tree in Brazil, Argentina and several countries of Africa. It is an important
species in Mozambique and South Africa where it is listed as a good coppice species but hard to debark. It is promising in Kenya, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, California and Hawaii. It failed in Ethiopia, Italy, the Ivory Coast Zone A, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Zambia. There is frequently some doubt about the identity of some of the ironbarks, but plantations labelled as Eucalyptus paniculata are usually good[].
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

Kino resin, if it is produced, is very astringent. Diluted, it can be taken internally as an effective treatment for dysentery, working because it is not absorbed at all from the stomach and only very slowly from the intestine, and is thus able to directly treat the lower part of the intestine. It can be used as a gargle and mouthwash to treat relaxed throat, loose teeth[, ].
Applied externally as a wash, it is an effective styptic and can used to treat cuts and skin problems[].

Other Uses

A kino resin is obtained from the trunk. Kino resins are rich in tannins and are very astringent. Soluble in water, they can be used medicinally; in tanning; as well as for preserving and dyeing natural fibres. When boiled in an iron pot they produce a thick, dark liquid that can be used as an ink[].
The resin oozes naturally from wounds in the trunk and can be tapped by making incisions in the bark. At first it is a thick liquid, but soon hardens upon exposure to the air and sun, typically drying to an amber-like material that consists of dark red angular fragments, rarely larger than a pea. Freshly exuded kino is more effective than kino that has been on the tree for a long while, since the soluble portion can be more or less washed out and the action of the sun can alter their chemical composition[].

The brown to dark brown or red-brown wood has a fine uniform texture and interlocked grain; with a density of 1,070 - 1,200 kg/m3. It is very hard, strong, durable and resistant to termite attacks. The wood is not easy to work but turns to a good finish, and is used for heavy engineering construction, ship construction, poles, railway sleepers and cross-arms[, , ].
The wood makes an excellent fuelwood and charcoal timber[].

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[].