Common Name: Tallow Wood

General Information

Eucalyptus planchoniana is an evergreen tree usually growing 20 - 30 metres tall, though sometimes a small tree of rather poor form. The bole can be up to 100cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild as a source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Australia - northeastern New South Wales, southeastern Queensland

Habitat

Mainly found on the low ridges and gentle slopes of coastal lowlands; at elevations up to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Eucalyptus planchoniana is native to the subtropical climate of eastern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 28°c, but can tolerate 8 - 36°c[]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -5°c, but young growth is more tender and can be severely damaged at 0°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,100 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 1,650mm[].
Requires a sunny position, succeeding in a range of soils of low to moderate fertility[]. Found in the wild mainly on well-drained, sandy soils, though these can be subject to seasonal inundation[, ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7[].
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[].
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

A kino resin is obtained from the trunk[]. Kino resins are rich in tannins and are very astringent. Kino is 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[].

Other Uses

The fresh leaves yield 0.6% of an essential oil with an aroma somewhat like citronelle. It has been suggested as a possible perfume for soaps[].
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 0.3% essential oil. The main components include eudesmol (up to 20%), 1,8-cineole (up to 47%), spathulenol (5%)[].

Yields a kino of very great astringency, and, therefore, particularly valuable for therapeutic purposes[]. After adherent impurities are removed by alcohol it is found to be composed of 93.88% kino-tannic acid, the rest consisting simply of real gum, and seems quite free of gallic acid[].
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.

The heartwood is light to dark brown. The wood is hard, moderately heavy and durable, it is well adapted for sawing, but not easy to split. It is used for heavy engineering construction, railway sleepers, poles, crossarms, sills, flooring and decking[, ].

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[].