Eucryphia

Eucryphia is a small genus of trees and large shrubs native to the south temperate regions of South America and coastal eastern Australia, mainly Tasmania. Sometimes placed in a family of their own, the Eucryphiaceae, they are placed by more recent classifications in the Cunoniaceae. There are seven species, two in South America and five in Australia, and several named hybrids.

Description

They are mostly evergreen though one species is usually deciduous.
The leaves are opposite, and either simple or pinnate with 3–13 leaflets. The flowers are produced in late summer or autumn, are showy and sweetly scented, diameter, with four creamy-white petals, and numerous stamens and styles. The fruit is a woody capsule long containing several seeds, and maturing in 12–15 months.

Etymology

The generic name Eucryphia is composed of two parts, namely eu- and -cryphia. The Greek ευ-κρυφαιος means well-covered and refers to the foliage, which is clustered towards the apex of branches.

Species

Extant species

Eucryphia cordifolia Cav. – Valdivian temperate rain forests of southern Chile and Argentina. A tree growing up to tall; leaves simple, crenate to serrated, evergreen, long. Its wood is used for construction, furniture and lumber, and its nectar for honey.
Eucryphia glutinosa Baill. – Valdivian temperate rain forests of southern Chile. A large shrub to tall; leaves pinnate, with 3–5 leaflets, serrated, deciduous or semi-evergreen, long.
Eucryphia jinksii P.I.Forst. – subtropical New South Wales and Queensland mountain rainforests endemic, Australia. A tree to tall; leaves simple or with 3 leaflets, entire, evergreen, 5–10 cm long.
Eucryphia lucida Baill. – Tasmania Australia. A tree to tall; leaves simple, entire, evergreen, long. Common name is Tasmanian leatherwood and it is a major commercial source of monofloral honey.
Eucryphia milliganii Hook.f.. – Tasmania Australia. A tree to tall or more often a shrub; leaves simple, entire, evergreen, long.
Eucryphia moorei F.Muell. – New South Wales, Victoria temperate rainforests, Australia. Also known as pinkwood, eastern leatherwood or plumwood, is a tree to 30 m tall; leaves pinnate, with 7–15 leaflets, entire, evergreen, long.
Eucryphia wilkiei B.Hyland – Queensland wet tropics mountain top cloud forests endemic, Australia, is a large shrub. Discovered in January 1970 by Jack Wilkie.

Extinct species

Eucryphia falcata
Eucryphia microstoma
Eucryphia aberensis.

Natural hybrids

There are two known natural hybrids, although additional, artificial hybrids have been created. However, these are not naturally occurring.

Eucryphia × hybrida J.Bausch - natural hybrid of E. lucida and E. milliganii native to Tasmania
Eucryphia × nymansensis J.Bausch - natural hybrid of E. cordifolia and E. glutinosa native to Chile

Artificial hybrids and cultivars

E. × intermedia
*E. × intermedia 'Rostrevor'
E. × hillieri : Developed from a self-sown seedling at the nursery of Hillier & Sons, Chandlers Ford in Hampshire around 1953.
E. × nymansensis
*E. × nymansensis 'Nymansay' originated from Lt. Col. Leonard C.R. Messel's garden at Nymans, Sussex
*E. × nymansensis 'Nymans Silver' is a sport discovered at Nymans, Sussex in 2005. It is a variegated form with serrated oval leaves that are outlined in creamy white. It was discovered growing on a E. × nymansensis within the garden. It is considered to be faster growing and more columnar in nature. The name 'Nymans Silver' was proposed by Philip Holmes, Deputy Head Gardener at Nymans.'
E. 'Penwith'
E. × ''hybrida''

Uses

The species and their hybrids are attractive small trees for gardens, typically with a slender conic crown when young, though widening with age. They are valued for their conspicuous scented flowers, produced in late summer and autumn when few or no other trees are in flower. Cultivation is restricted to areas with mild winters, cool summers and good rainfall; away from their native areas, this restricts them to the Atlantic coastal regions of Europe, the Pacific Northwest of North America, and New Zealand.

Honey

The nectar of two of the species provides an important sources of honey. Eucryphia lucida from Tasmania is the main source of a very distinctively flavoured honey known as Leatherwood. Some of this honey may come from the other Tasmanian species, E. milliganii. In Chile, Ulmo honey comes from E. cordifolia. Leatherwood honey and Ulmo honey are very similar in flavour, even though the two species have probably been separated for more than 45 million years.