Introductory Agroforestry (1+1)

EUCALYPTUS TERETICORNIS

Botanical Name: Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm.
Common Name: Eucalyptus, Safeda, Nilgiri
Family : Myrtaceae

Plate 16.1 Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm.

Species

Eucalyptus tereticornis
Eucalyptus citriodora
Eucalyptus golbulus
Eucalyptus hybrid

Description

• It is a tall tree upto 40m high
• Bole is straight and clean with whitish mottled bark
• The crown is open
• Juvenile leaves opposite
• Adult leaves alternate
• Inflorescence axillary usually seven flower umbel

Distribution

• In India Eucalyptus is second most widely plated species after teak
• It is distributed/planted all over India except North-eastern states
• In is planted both in the forest and outside in agricultural lands, wasteland, roadsides etc.

Site factor

Climate

Temperature - Maximum 22°C -32°C, Minimum 2°C-12°C
Rainfall - Upto 1500 mm
Altitude - Upto 1700 m.

Soil

• It can be grown in wide variety of soil such as recent alluvial soil, laterite soils, sand dunes, ravine, murum soil and sandy loam soils etc.
• It can be grown in soils having pH more than 10 but growth is poor when pH exceeds 8.5.

Phenology

• It is evergreen species
• Flowering - Twice a year 1st in May-June 2nd in October-November
• High number of fertile seeds was set in first flowering

Silvicultural characters

• Strong light demander
• Susceptible to frost because of thin bark and essential oil in the plant tissues
• Good coppice
• It is a wind firm in nature
• Damaged by termites