Eucalyptus cinerea

Silver Dollar Tree
Eucalyptus cinerea
Type: Evergreen Large Shrub or Small Tree
Exposure: Full Sun
Water: Regular

Today’s post is dedicated to my amazing son, who is 24 today!

This striking, fast-growing, Australian native features fragrant evergreen foliage and interesting peeling bark. Greyish-blue/green leaves are arranged in opposing pairs along the stems, and can reach 2in (5cm) across. These strongly-rounded, silvery leaf pairs are what gives this guy its common name. Creamy white flowers appear in late spring or early summer, but are generally not seen on juvenile plants. The bark is an attractive reddish brown on older wood, often peeling on smaller stems. In the wild this can grow to 60ft (18m) high by 15ft (4.5m) wide, but tends to remain smaller in cultivation. Also, because the young foliage is often used in flower arrangements, it’s common practice to see it continually cut it back to encourage new growth. It’s a popular container plant, especially in colder climates (USDA 8 or lower),where it can be moved to a warmer spot, container and all.

Pro tip: Eucalyptus oil, derived from plant’s leaf, has medicinal value, primarily by way of ointments for the treatment of colds and flu (Vick’s Vap-o-Rub contains it, along with camphor oil and some other stuff). The oil is relatively safe if ingested in small quantities, but is toxic in larger doses, particularly to small children. So please- (you guessed it)- don’t eat your eucalyptus.

Cheers,

John