Eucryphia lucida

Eucryphia lucida

Eucryphia lucida are attractive and healthy looking trees from Tasmania, where they're known as Leatherwood after the capsules formed after flowering. They are fast growing and usually grow to around 10m in their natural range. Their fragrant flowers don't look a million miles away from our native roses.

They need full sun or part shade - naturally it's a plant of the forest understorey - well drained neutral to slightly acidic soil, and shelter from cold winds. Like other Eucryphias they also like shade for their roots.

Honey from Eucryphia lucida is much prized in Tasmania, and beekeepers move their apiaries to areas where the plants grow when they're in flower - much as they do here with heather. The flowers themselves are very attractive, and appeal to a wide range of pollinators. They're particularly helpful to them as they flower relatively late in the summer.

We sell three evergreen varieties as small pot grown plants. They grow to around 8m in height, 4m across:

Eucryphia lucida 'Ballerina': Pink flowers with red edges.

Eucryphia lucida 'Gilt Edge': white flowers, attractive trifoliate leaves with creamy margins.

Eucryphia lucida 'Pink Cloud': Pink flowers (no surprise there!)

Available: All year round

Size: 1.5 litre pot (60cm - 70cm tall)

Flowers: August - September

Soil type: Moist, well drained neutral to acid soils

Eucryphia supplier : R.V.Roger