Mottlecah

~ Eucalyptus macrocarpa ~

MYRTACEAE

One of the most stunning picture-perfect Eucalyptus flowers – they conjure up visions of gumnut babies bursting out of their fig-shaped buds each spring. They are a personal favourite of mine and the biggest blooms of their Eucalypt kind. They are so big that the Mottlecah’s branches can often be seen slumped over by the thick weight of these nectarlicious flowers. The contrast between the light grey foliage and the yellow to red colouring on the blooms is exquisite. This plant is not only exceptionally beautiful but it also has nano properties: its white foliage is covered in a wax that forms nano-sized lumps; these repel water, making it a super-hydrophobic, self-cleaning plant.

WHERE TO LOOK

Endemic to the wheatbelt areas of south-western Australia, the Mottlecah grows in the sandy soils between Eneabba, Cataby and Kulin. It enjoys its warm and dry summers and open sandy heathlands.

Locations → WA: Roe Gardens in Kings Park and Botanic Garden, and Wellington Forest.

FEATURES

Eucalyptus macrocarpa is considered a sprawling Mallee shrub, a term used for multi-stemmed Eucalypts. Everything about this plant’s body is powdery grey-green and smooth, from its shiny bark and thick silvery leaves (8–12cm long) to its dusty-grey flower buds (6cm in size). The buds burst open to reveal their huge deep-pink to red blooms, measuring 10cm across. The flowers can also be seen in a rare cream form. The fruit is a woody semi-spherical capsule to 9cm wide with protruding triangular valves.

FLOWERING SEASON

Spring and summer → The red blooms burst out of their buds in late winter, through spring and into early summer – pretty much any time of year except for the hottest parts of summer.

PLANTING

These will be splendiferous to cultivate in your backyard if your climate permits. Keeping in mind they enjoy dry summers, they will be shorter lived in tropical environments (my apologies, Queensland and Northern Territory), but give them a red hot go anyway. Seeds can be found online and in specialty nurseries and will germinate in ten to 28 days.