Eucalyptus lacrimans

Eucalyptus lacrimans, rightly earns its name as the Weeping Snow Gum, due to its excellent hardiness (down to -15°C (5 °F)) and its tree-like stature with weeping branches. It is characterised by shiny, grey-green and trailing leaves on thin pendulous branches, supported by wood with smooth, white and grey bark. In spring, white flowers appear, attractive to bees, followed by cup-shaped fruits that persist for a long time on the branches. With slow growth and not tolerating dry conditions, its placement in the garden requires a suitable location, in moist soil and in the sun. With moderate size and a balanced silhouette, it fits perfectly into small and medium-sized gardens.

Eucalyptus lacrimans is an endemic species of the vast, more or less bare, grassy plains of the region around Adaminaby in the south-eastern part of New South Wales (Australia). In these areas, the soil is poorly drained and the winter conditions are cold, with frost, snow, frozen soil and thick fog. Belonging to the Myrtaceae family, it is commonly called Weeping Snow Gum. Eucalyptus lacrimans was originally considered a subspecies of Eucalyptus pauciflora and the two species are likely to hybridise in their natural environment. This species was clearly identified only in 1991. The term lacrimans comes from Latin, meaning "weeping", in reference to the pendulous branches.

This eucalyptus forms a moderately branching tree, with flexible and pendulous branches, giving it a weeping habit. In its natural habitat, it reaches a height of 10 to 15 m (32 ft 10 in to 49 ft 2 in) with a spread of 8 to 10 m (26 ft 2 in to 32 ft 10 in). In our climates, it does not exceed 6 to 8 m (19 ft 8 in to 26 ft 2 in) in height. With relatively slow growth, this species takes about 5 years to reach 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height. It usually grows on a trunk starting from a lignotuber* located just below the soil surface. As a young plant, it bears reddish branches with juvenile foliage, consisting of ovate to lanceolate leaves 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) long and 2 to 4 cm (0.8 to 1.6 in) wide, bluish green. Then as it develops, the leaves take on a lanceolate to crescent shape, 8 to 18 cm (3.1 to 7.1 in) long and 1.5 to 3 cm (0.6 to 1.2 in) wide, shiny, a pretty water green. The leaves are slightly aromatic and release a menthol scent when crushed, rich in eucalyptol. As it ages, the chalky white bark peels off in thin flakes, revealing a smooth underlayer, with cream or grey spots. Flowering occurs from spring to early summer in our climates, on plants a few years old. The inflorescence, borne on a short petiole, consists of many small white flowers gathered in a tight bouquet, delicately perfumed and very attractive to bees. After flowering, the fruits, called "gumnuts", appear in the form of a woody, globular, truncate capsule, attached to the branch by a short petiole. In a beautiful whitish-grey colour, they remain attached to the stem for a long time.

This eucalyptus has a *lignotuber, consisting of a starch-rich swelling that forms on the roots just below the soil surface. This organ allows it to regrow from the stump in case of hard frost or fire. But be careful, this variety does not respond well to coppicing or severe pruning.

The Weeping Snow Gum finds its place in the garden, planted as a specimen in a clear space to appreciate the beauty of its weeping habit, or in a group to highlight its foliage and the astonishing colour of its wood. This attractive and robust tree brings a somewhat unusual touch to a wide range of situations, including in cold and wet regions. While it copes well with cold and snow, in poor, wet, even clayey soils, it dislikes dry conditions and hot, dry summers.