Eucalyptus stellulata Kiandra

Eucalyptus stellulata 'Kiandra' is a horticultural selection of this very beautiful Australian species, appreciated for its remarkably decorative bark. It is distinguished by its juvenile foliage of a pale lemon green, which contrasts pleasantly with the reddish young shoots. The bark is sumptuous, grey and green in several tones, with here and there a few touches of brown or white. Charming flowering in white pompons appears at the end of winter in our climates. This eucalyptus will adapt to many regions, and to any type of soil, even clayey and wet. Slow growing to start with, then accelerating, it tolerates pruning very well, which limits its development and allows it to be planted even in medium-sized gardens.

Eucalyptus stellulata is a beautiful tree from the Myrtaceae family, native to the mountains of southeastern Australia, over a large geographical area in the states of Victoria and New South Wales. It is often found not far from watercourses and swampy areas, in sub-alpine levels, and occasionally also in drier areas. Moderately fast-growing for the genus, this gum tree develops several trunks from its base, topped by a large, not very dense crown, with a spreading and slightly weeping habit. It reaches a mature size of about 15 m (49 ft 2 in) in height and 8-9 m (26 ft 2 in-29 ft 6 in) in width, under good conditions. Subjected in its country of origin to hot summers, but without a marked dry season, and to cold winters, it resists brief frosts of around -14°C (6.8 °F).
Kiandra is a horticultural selection of an English nursery located near Birmingham, and specialised in Eucalyptus. It presents beautiful juvenile foliage of a light green leaning a little towards yellow forming a very pretty contrast with the reddish young branches. The adult foliage takes a more elongated to elliptical shape, with a pointed end. The leaves measure from 5 to 9 cm (2 to 3.5 in) long for 1.5 to 2.5 cm (0.6 to 1 in) wide, and are easily recognised with their 3 parallel veins. The aromatic foliage surprises with its scent of eucalyptol mixed with pineapple in an original fruity mix when the leaves are crumpled.
Another asset of this tree is its decorative bark, a range of pearl grey, lemon green and olive green, with sometimes a few inserts of brown and white. Very smooth, and shiny in the rain, which particularly enhances it, it is really magnificent. Flowering takes place in March and April in our climates, on plants a few years old. These are in fact round, petal-less flowers, composed of a multitude of white stamens tightly arranged like pompons. They bloom between the leaves, grouped in umbels of 9 to 15 all along the branches and are followed by the formation of green cup-shaped fruits, turning brown when ripe.
Eucalyptus 'Kiandra' has a slow growth at the beginning, then it accelerates to reach a shoot of about 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) per year. Able to reach 15 m (49 ft 2 in) in height in 15 to 20 years, it is possible to keep it in more modest dimensions by pruning it regularly. Like all Eucalyptus with a lignotuber, an underground formation that allows a clump to regrow when the aerial part is destroyed, it reacts very well to coppicing.

Eucalyptus stellutata Kiandra is a beautiful subject to place in isolation, or within a group. It brings an undeniable touch of exoticism to the landscape, and is decorative in all seasons. To dress its base, choose dry land plants such as scabious, iberis, centaury, nepetas, helianthemums, rue, acanthus, cistus, Calamintha nepeta. To compete in beauty with its bark, plant it close to Cyprus Arbutus (Arbutus andrachne) whose skin peels off in beautiful orange shreds, revealing a lighter bark underneath. Its evergreen foliage of a beautiful green, its flowering in white bells and its fruits that go from yellow to red as they ripen form a decorative scene all season long.