Eucalyptus Species, Illyarrie, Red Cap Gum, Red Helmet Nut Gum

I just met this beautiful tree for the first time in my son's garden in Adelaide in South Australia. It was covered in large yellow flowe...Read Morers, set off by the brightly colured buds. Eucalypt flowers have a thick leathery operculum in place of the petals and in this species, the opercula are bright red. The tree grows in the wild in West Australia, in an area between Perth and Geraldton, but is apparently quite common in cultivation.

I collected some of the enormous seed capsules, which are about 8 cms across, and are roughly four-cornered. The capsules opened in less than a week and shed plenty of seed, although the seed space is tiny when compared with the enormous woody capsules.

I have passed the seed to a friend to try and grow some, but I also noticed several seedlings growing in loose soil under the tree, so I potted three of them and brought them home with me.

I don't know how frost-sensitive they are, but I will report how they fare as they develop.