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Mountain Swamp Gum

Straggly to erect tree up to 20 m tall with a rounded canopy.

Smooth and grey bark on top trunk; dark grey, scaly and shedding in ribbons on lower trunk.

Leaves

Juvenile leaves are thick, egg-shaped to round. Often notched on end. 7 cm long and 5 cm wide.

Adult leaves are dull green, broad, elliptic (shaped like a flattened circle) to egg-shaped 8 - 15 cm long and 2.5 - 6 cm wide with dense veins and petioles (leaf stalks) up to 3 cm.

Flowers

White inflorescence (flower clusters).

Flower buds up to 7 narrow diamond-shaped buds < 0.7cm long. Commonly 7 per cluster. Similar to E. ovata but narrower.

Fruits/Seeds

Narrow, funnel-shaped with erect, projecting valves; 0.6 cm long and 0.6 cm diameter.

Field Guide

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  • Species Category: Plants
  • Species origin: Native
  • Conservation status: Common

  • What to Observe

    • First fully open single flower

    • Full flowering (record all days)

    • End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)

    • No flowering

    • Presence of fruits

    Climate Adaptations

    Eucalyptus camphora is one of the most cold-adjusted eucalypt species and the sugary exudates and flowers are important food sources for Helmeted Honeyeater and lowland Leadbeater’s Possum. In a warming climate we expect plants to delay emergence until later and start flowering earlier in the year due to global heating. They may also start disappearing in areas, as warmer temperatures suppress growth and development and their ability to renegerate.

  • When and Where

    When To Look

    • Between February and November
    • Late winter for fallen flower caps
    • Flowers March to April

    Where To Look

    • From Wee Jasper in NSW to the mountainous country east and north of Melbourne in Victoria
    • Usually grows at higher altitudes
    • Cold damp slopes, swampy sites and creeksides
    • In forest, often in marshy places and in valleys

  • What Else?

    Similar Species

    Looks similar to Broad-leaved Sally (Eucalyptus camphora subsp. camphora) and will usually have a shorter petiole at less than 20 mm long.
  • Trails: Haining Farm VIC
  • Species Region: Australia