Spinning Gum: cold hardy Eucalyptus from Alpine Australia
Notes on phenology and cultivation in cold temperate climates
Gustavo Iglesias Trabado
GIT Forestry Consulting - Consultoría y Servicios de Ingeniería Agroforestal - www.git-forestry.com - EUCALYPTOLOGICS
Eucalyptus perriniana have started blooming in Galicia this year. A bit of delayed this time, as we have observed them blooming since early June in previous years, they remain eye catching in any season none the less.
Fig 1: Intermediate leaves and blooms of a Spinning Gum (E. perriniana) flowering in the Tablelands of Galicia (NW Spain).
First discovered in Tasmania by 1893 and named after forester George S. Perrin, the Spinning Gum or Eucalyptus perriniana is one of the examples of frost tolerant Eucalyptus having unique ornamental features. Its vernacular name makes emphasis on dry juvenile leaves, which are connate, so fused at their base to surround branchlets completely, detaching and spinning freely around themselves when wind blows.