Eucalyptus ficifolia x calophylla (Corymbia ficifolia x calophylla)

10 seed

A lovely ornamental tree that is not planted enough in my opinion. It is a small tree not growing more than 10m. The leaves are lovely and big, and so are the flowers, which are very showy and can be bright red, pink or orange. These seeds are collected from Eucalyptus ficifolia, that has Eucalyptus calophylla nearby, and so have crossed to produce flowers which are often pink.

E. calophylla can reach 40m so I wouldn’t be surprised if some height variations occur too. When you grow from seed there are no hard and fast rules, any sport can happen at any time…..!

While native to Western Australia, it is readily adaptable to most temperate locations, provided it is not exposed to severe frost or sustained tropical damp. The tree in my garden at Rangari, near Gunnedah, NSW, did well, until a nearby pool excavation uprooted it – they don’t like root disturbance. Annual rainfall in Gunnedah is between 200mm – 600mm. So I recommend this tree for inland dry areas Australia wide.

It is thought that it would not be suitable for eastern areas near the coast, due to root rot, and so has been grafted onto a more robust Eucalyptus root stock, for those areas, and those trees indeed are magnificent. Although if I lived in an eastern coastal region, I’d still give these seeds a shot, but made sure there was a full sun area with excellent drainage, and good airflow. But that’s just me. For North Queenslanders, if you really like this tree, try Eucalyptus ptychocarpa, it’s very similar, in fact it looks pretty much the same, except maybe taller.

Eucalyptus ptychocarpa subsp. aptycha – Swamp Bloodwood (Corymbia) (Pink) – Local Seeds

Eucalyptus ptychocarpa subsp. aptycha – Swamp Bloodwood (Corymbia) (Hot pink) – Local Seeds

This tree was first named Eucalyptus, and has later been changed to a whole new species called Corymbia, but it has been known for so long as Eucalyptus, so now it’s known by 2 different names. If it looks like a Gum, and smells like a Gum, then it’s a Gum!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any ‘whole tree shots’ of my ficifolia, plus there were hardly any free images of ficifolia or ficifolia x calophylla, on the Internet, that old photo above was the only one I could find!! I know, it’s bad isn’t it! I do find that little bizarre, I mean there are quite a few images, but not in the Public Domain. I always make a point of uploading my images onto flicker in the Public Domain. I encourage people to do this, sometimes they just are not aware that they have to physically go into their settings, and change it to Public Domain. There would be some better ones I could use, that are not listed as PD, but as someone who has dogs on my back, constantly, they would either deleted it, or steal something of mine, or do some other criminal behaviour against me, even if it is ok by the owner to use – that is their dog mentality, they have no common-sense. Most people do not have dogs on their back, so I say go ahead and find one suitable. {Don’t get me started on people who want to copyright dance steps…} I especially would like photos of the flowers produced from these seeds, so I can add them onto this page listing. If you manage to grow a plant from these seeds, please, feel free to take as many photos as you can, and contact me via email; [email protected]

Also, the seeds from each of these seedpods, are unusual too; half of them are black resembling seeds that you would find in a ficifolia pod, and the other half are brown, more resembling seeds you would find in a calophylla pod, so I will make a point of sending half and half to a buyer, and it will be most interesting to see what happens with each seed.

I did a “How to germinate Eucalyptus ptychocarpa seed” YOUTUBE VIDEO here, which is the same method for Eucalyptus ficifolia

I will attach a copy of my Euc notes: (but if you want to look up exact temperatures for Eucalyptus germination online, I am sure someone has tested them and written about it somewhere, although I found Gum seed germination/ seedling growing info lacking online).

In Australia, Eucalyptus seed germinates best in spring or summer, and they are very easy to germinate and grow.

I like to fill a tube tray with potting mix, then sprinkle seeds over the top, (any pot will do though), then lightly cover them (if they are really fine, I don’t bother covering, as the water spray will ‘knock’ them into the potting mix), and keep them moist until they germinate, which can take anywhere from 4 days to 4 weeks – this is best done before it rains, the seeds seem to be able to sense that rain is coming, and so they will germinate just before, if you can time it right, it helps. You need to it out of direct sun, especially hot afternoon sun.

When my seeds germinate in the tubes, I thin out the smaller ones, and let the stronger ones survive in the tubes, and they stay in the tubes all spring and summer, (they like tubes, as they need a deeper pot for their long central root), and they should be big enough to be planted into the ground (desired spot) by autumn. Good potting mix is essential. I make my own with compost, perlite, blood n bone, and organic fertilizer (this is why you compost your food scraps and garden clippings – gold for potting mix). Water every so often, you can often tell from looking at them if they need water, ie if the leaves are wilting, give them a good soak. I spray often with Seasol and then Powerfeed – that helps tremendously.

If you don’t have any tube stock trays just use a big pot or a little seed tray, and either prick the little seedlings out to repot them in individual pots, or prick all but one out to get big. If you just want 1 plant, then do 5 – I find there are many things that always go wrong, bugs, theft, forgot to water, left out in hot sun, kangaroos, bush turkeys……its good to have back ups.

They should be at least 30cm high before you plant them out into the ground, and planting them out is best done in autumn so they don’t have a harsh summer to deal with when they’re establishing.

When I plant them out in the ground, I always put a tree guard over them to stop kangaroos from nibbling, this creates a little environment for them which they seem to like. Plus, you can easily see where you planted it.

Eucalyptus need water the first year to establish, – well, they did in Gunnedah, but here in the subtropics, I have found I can “plant and forget”, and they just grow!! Wow.

In Gunnedah (temperate climate), sometimes I still had to water to establish a second or third year, depending on weather.

Most natives do not like having their roots disturbed, so be careful if you repot, and when you plant out.

I find it best to plant natives out before they get too old, otherwise, their central tap root will be stunted, and not ‘take hold’ in the ground to ground itself, and will most likely blow over in a storm.

So good on you for growing them from seed in the first place.

I hope this explains it for you, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

For most seeds (unless otherwise stated): Sow Spring – Lightly cover and keep moist until germination – best to do in the hot before a rain event. Grow seedling over the spring/summer in shade house with ideal conditions, then plant out autumn with occasional watering for the first 2 years.
Happy to answer any questions you may have.
My business mission: is to provide backyard owners with seed of Australian Native plants, in particular ornamental species, with aesthetic attributes, to create good vibes and a sense of peace.
And my seller promise; if you purchase from me, I will send it to you.
I use recycled packaging. And I make a note of sending more seeds than stated in page listing. Plus, I’m a definite advocate for ‘organics’ as much as possible, there are no pesticides at my place!