Eucalyptus rodwayi
Common name: 
Swamp Peppermint Eucalyptus
Swamp Peppermint Gum
Pronunciation: 
eu-ka-LIP-tus rod-WA-e-i-
Family: 
Myrtaceae
Genus: 
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Evergreen tree, to 60 ft (20 m) tall, dense crown, holds its lower limbs.  Bark is smooth and white on smaller branches, becoming rough, fibrous and gray on larger branches and the trunk.  Intermediate leaves opposite, ovate to orbiculate, straight, entire, dull gray green, sessile  Adult leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate (willow-like), 5-12 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide, glossy green, similar color on both sides, lateral veins obscure, thick, borne on conspicuous red stalk (petioles); leaves have a characteristic, but not unique, peppermint odor when crushed.  Flowers, white or cream, in simple, axillary 7-11 flowered clusters.  Fruit hemispherical or conical.
  • Sun, can grow in wet soil areas and in heavy clay, does well on low fertile soils.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 8, some authorities say it can withstand temperatures, for brief periods, as low as 0° F (Zone 7).    Native to central and eastern Tasmania.   Related to and often confused with E. aggregata of the Australian mainland.
  • rodwayi: in honor of Leonard Rodway (1853-1936), botanist and dentist, author of "The Tasmanian Flora" (1903), a comprehensive study of Tasmanian botany.
  • Silverton, Oregon: The Oregon Garden.
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  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • branches

    branches

  • leaves

    leaves