Inside a 32-hectare zoo of trees dedicated to Australian eucalypts
In short: Most people see eucalypts as mere fire hazards or dangerous giants. But for botanist Dean Nicolle, they represent a massive, diverse family of thousands of specimens. At his Currency Creek Arboretum, he is working to document the incredible variation within Australia's most dominant group of plants.
Located in Currency Creek, the 32-hectare arboretum serves as a hub for research and education. Founded on land purchased by his parents, the site is now entirely self-funded. Dean Nicolle, a botanist, ecologist, and arborist, has spent decades cultivating the site, beginning with his first plantings in 1993 after a field trip to South West Western Australia. His passion for these trees began at age 15. He even once attempted to locate the rare E. rameliana in the Gibson Desert.
The collection is vast, representing around 8,000 members of the Eucalyptacea, which includes Eucalypts, Angophora, and Corymbia. Nicolle aims to capture the full breadth of the genus, which contains over 900 species and subspecies in Australia. To ensure he captures the natural variation within a species, he typically plants four specimens from seeds collected in the wild, rather than relying on a single seed which might result in a poor specimen. The collection includes various genera such as Corymbia and Angophora. Many of these specimens were sourced from wild populations during annual field trips.
The diversity of the genus is significant; while many associate them with large trees, the group includes shrubs and mallees. For example, the multi-stemmed Deua Gum (E. wilcoxii) is a Mallee from the mountain areas of New South Wales. Other species, like the ornamental E. preissiana, offer a different aesthetic for gardeners. This diversity helps challenge the negative perceptions that eucalypts are only large, fire-prone trees that drop dangerous branches. The Warty yate (E. megacornuta) is another favourite, known for its unique green flowers. This species is particularly popular with children due to its textured bud caps.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Every Eucalyptus species in one Arboretum
- Also: herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk — Oxford University Plants 400: Eucalyptus species
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