A tree reaching 25 metres tall with a canopy spread to 10 or 15 metres.
It is one of the “box” eucalypts – with a lower trunk of finley tesselated brown bark with bare upper branches, sometimes with ribbons.
It is a very common tree in western Sydney and coastal hinterland areas – usually on shale-based soils (clays).
It is a NSW-Qld species, growing as far south as Bungonia and Nowra-area, northwards through the Hunter Valley and western slopes – as far west as Tamworth and Bingara-Ashford – into Queensland where it gets out into the central areas and goes as far as Cairns. It forms part of drier sclerophyll woodlands in most cases.
Eucalyptus spp. have simple and usually alternate adult leaves with juvenile leaves starting off opposite to alternate (disjunct). In this species, the juvenile foliage / coppicing growth is alternate, mid-green / olive-green 8 cm wide and 10 cm long, very rounded to broadly-ovate in shape – somewhat discolorous to concolorous.
The adult leaves are disjunct, lanceolate to broadly-lanceolate to ovate, to 17 cm long and to about 6 cm wide, mid-green and concolorous; sometimes canopies can exhibit a range of leaf shapes.
The primary inflorescence of “eucalypts” (Angophora / Corymbia / Eucalyptus) is an umbellaster (an umbel-like cluster of flowers). In the flowers of Corymbia and Eucalyptus, the petals and sepals are fused into the distinctive calyptra / operculum (bud cap) which is shed when the flower opens (in some species, 2 bud caps (opercula) are shed). The flowers are conspicuously staminate – where many stamens are basically taking over the role of the petals, all surrounding one central carpel. In this species, the flower buds are arranged in leaf axils in groups (umbellasters) of 7 to more than 7 (up to 15). Umbellasters can be clustered into further groups. Mature buds are fusiform to diamond-shaped, to 8 mm long and 4 mm wide with a conical operculum / calyptra. Flowering are white, occurring mainly in spring to summer.
Eucalyptus produce a capsule (gum-nut) which house valves which open to release the seed. The fruits (capsules) of some boxes have a cylindrical to urceolate shape. In this species, the capsules are cup-shaped to barrel-shaped or cylindrical – strongly resembling a champagne flute – to 7 mm long and 6 mm wide – with enclosed valves and sunken disc.
This species is used in bushland revegetatiojn projects and does grow well from planting. It is likely too big for the typical urban garden. Many remnant trees can be seen on properties in western Sydney.
It does form a nice tree and provides habitat and hollows for birds and insects. Typically hardy – growing in drier areas. A useful shade tree.
Propagate from seed.
This species can regenerate from fire from lignotubers and epicormic shoots as well as the seed bank.
This species is known to intergrade with Eucalyptus albens across itrs habitat – with trees showing features of both species – especially around Merriwa and Scone and further north.
It is well-known that Eucalyptus is a large and diverse genus. Between 700 and 950 known species are reported, occurring as far north as The Philippines, as well as Indonesia, New Guinea, Timor and Australia. Only 16 species reportedly occur outside Australia. They occur in all Australian states. NSW currently has about 250 species. (See this website for some detailed information: https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/intro/learn.htm).
Eucalyptus – from Greek, eu, “well” or “true” and calyptus, referring to the calyptra (καλύπτρo) or operculum, which is a bud cap or covering which covers the developing flowers. The calyptra is a fusion of petals and/or sepals and is shed when the flower opens, leaving a flower with many stamens (staminate) surrounding one female part (carpel).
moluccana – named for the Moluccas Islands in Indonesia. This is another example where an Australian tree was grown in cultivation elsewhere and then used as the type specimen for the naming of the species.
This species is not considered to be at risk of extinction in the wild.
NSW Flora Online (PlantNET) – Eucalyptus moluccana profile page https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Eucalyptus~moluccana
EUCLID – Eucalypts of Australia – Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research – Eucalyptus moluccana profile page https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/entities/eucalyptus_moluccana.htm
Arcane Botanica YouTube Channel (Dan Clarke) – Eucalypt Theory Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m89bALPO4uc
Arcane Botanica YouTube Channel (Dan Clarke) – Eucalyptus moluccana https://youtube.com/watch?v=_y15fxyCC18