Plant · P-157

River Red Gum

Eucalyptus camaldulensis

River Red Gum is a fast-growing evergreen eucalyptus that yields tough timber, fencing wood, tannin, gum and biomass, plus enough nectar to make it a serious bee tree. It surprises people with how little cold it actually tolerates - recorded dieback starts around 19°F to 23°F, several degrees warmer than the bottom of the hardiness range usually quoted for it, so an ordinary winter low can kill a tree that took a decade or more to reach canopy size. It fixes no nitrogen, its seed is too small to eat, and its oily bark, heavy water draw and strong allelopathy mean it grows best alone rather than mixed closely with other plants.