Help, my tree froze this winter, but not quite completely. Please see my post in the tree forum.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1368808/
Since it is a tropical tree, perhaps some of you might have some ideas for me.
TIA
Eucalyptus cladocalyx nana
It's not tropical tree, it's from a temperate arid climate, the "nana" grows closer to the sea (but not necessarily by the sea). It's endemic to South Australia, and from the more southerly parts. This is a list of the key descriptors for it.
Eyre Peninsula provenances (nana):
Climate parameters
Mean annual rainfall: 400-450 mm
Altitude: 50-250 metres
Biological traits under cultivation
Habit: evergreen tree to 15 m tall
Carbon sequestration potential: moderate
Potential farm use: excellent windbreak, good for fence posts, good ornamental attributes or shelterbelt or shade for stock
Urban use: good as an ornamental or amenity plant or ideal maintenance free street tree
Key descriptors in common:
Climate parameters
Rainfall distribution pattern: winter
Mean annual temperature: 12-21 °C
Mean max. temperature of the hottest month: 23-34 °C
Mean min. temperature of the coldest month: 1-11 °C
Frosts (approx. no. per year): up to 20
Frost intensity: light to moderate (0 to -5°C)
Tolerance of extremes in climate
Drought: known to be moderately drought tolerant or known to be tolerant of protracted droughts
Frost: tolerates frosts in the 0° to -5°C range
Wind: known or has attributes to make an excellent windbreak or tolerates salt-laden coastal winds
Soil factors
Texture: clay loam, duplex texture contrast soils, heavy clay (greater than 50% clay), light to medium clay (35-50% clay), loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam or sand
Soil pH reaction: 1. acidic (less than 6.5), 2. neutral (6.5-7.5) or 3. alkaline (greater than 7.5)
Soil depth: 1. skeletal to shallow (less than 30 cm) or 2. moderate to deep (30-100 cm or greater)
Drainage: well-drained
Salinity: slightly to moderately saline or non-saline
Tolerance of adverse soils
Extremes in pH: acidity or alkalinity
Salinity: moderate (-8 dS m-1) or slight (2-4 dS m-1)
Soil waterlogging tolerance: nil - sensitive to waterlogged soils
Biological traits under cultivation
Longevity: moderate to long lived (>15 years)
Growth rate: fast
Coppicing ability: vigorous, responds to pruning, pollarding
Root system: moderate to deep
Erosion control potential: excellent for sandy sites
Windbreak potential: excellent (known or has good attributes), tolerates salty coastal winds
Wood density: mod. to high (greater than 600 kg/cubic metre)
Uses
Potential farm use: excellent windbreak, good for fence posts, good ornamental attributes, shelterbelt or shade for stock
Specialty products: flowers produce nectar for honey production or pollen has value for apiculture
Urban use: good as an ornamental or amenity plant
Wildlife value: flowers are especially attractive to birds
Potentially undesirable attributes
Foliage: cases of stock poisoning have been reported
Weediness: high potential based on its biology
Thank you, that's interesting info. We have a pretty good match except for the altitude, it is only 14' here. This tree has never self seeded although it has flowered and seeded many times. Either it is dioecious and there are no others around or perhaps a hybrid. A Chilean friend told me the seeds from this tree are eaten like nuts in Chili.
If my neighbors can stand looking at it I'll leave it for a bit longer and see what happens.
Eucalypts are monoecious, and they do seed prolifically. But they are generally pyrophyllic plants and require fire for recruitment into the population. The seeds are held in the gumnuts but are released after fire. The fire also clears the ground of vegetation and allows the sun to bake the soil (with it's ash layer). Those conditions bring about germination. Without the heat and strong sunlight the seeds would stay dormant and eventually rot. That would be particularly true of arid region species like yours.
When I lived in Arnhem Land with Aborigines they used to eat the Eucalypt seed, mainly from those species which had large gumnuts. The seed are always small, but the bigger the gumnut the more seed. They're also popular with parrots which have strong beaks to chew through the woody gumnuts.
A lot of folklore has built up around gumnuts, mainly due to the writings of author May Gibbs early last century. The Gumnut Babies were small fairy-like creatures that lived inside the gumnuts. (If you look carefully you might see some in your tree.) The Banksia Men were the evil villians. As a little kid I grew up on her stories.
LOL, plenty of heat and strong sunlight but no fire thank goodness, this tree is right next to my home.
I'll be on the lookout for the gumnut babies. You never know. We do have a Lady Banksia here but she is a lovely rose and practically thornless, not particularly evil at all. If she has any malevolent relatives let's hope they stay away.
Just so you recognise them, here's pictures of them on the cover of one of her books (got this off the internet).
Ahh yes, that one third from the left looks familiar. :-)