Eucalyptus papuana (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Eucalyptus papuana F. v. Mueller

Protologue: Descr. notes Papuan pl. 1: 8 (1875).

Vernacular names

• Ghost gum, desert gum, cabbage gum (En).

Distribution

Northern half of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Cultivated in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

Uses

The timber is used, e.g. for fencing, steps and door and window sills.

Observations

• A small to medium-sized tree of up to 25 m tall, bole sometimes stunted, but straight in other provenances, up to 6 m long and up to 70 cm in diameter, bark smooth, white or grey-white.
• Juvenile leaves oblong or elliptical to broadly lanceolate, acute or acuminate, undulate, adult leaves alternate, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 5-18 cm × 1.2-4.5 cm, petiole 1-2.5 cm long.
• Inflorescence a condensed corymbose panicle, umbels 7-11-flowered.
• Flower buds ovoid to clavate, operculum hemispherical.
• Fruit cylindrical, 7-10 mm × 6-9 mm, abruptly rounded at base.

E. papuana occurs preferably on swampy sites or river flats but also on hills and plateaus, on loamy and lateritic soils at low altitudes. The density of the wood is about 950 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content.

Selected sources

232, 359, 540.

Main genus page

• Eucalyptus

Authors

• C.C.H. Jongkind (selection of species)