Corymbia citriodora (Lemon-Scented Gum)

  • TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN): 0018
  • Botanical Name: Corymbia citriodora
  • Common Name: Lemon-Scented Gum
  • Cultivar: N/A
  • Family: Myrtaceae
  • Native To: Temperate and Tropical northeastern Queensland 
Corymbia citriodora canopy 
Photo by Matthew Gaston

Landscaping Information

  • Plant Type: Tree
  • Texture: Medium, Open
  • Form: Upright-broad to Weeping/Pendent, Irregular
  • Height (on average, in landscape use):  90'+
  • Height to Spread Ratio: 7:1
  • Growth Rate: Medium to Fast
  • Landscape Values: Background, Border, Mass, Shade, Sculptural Form
  • Outstanding Quality: Lemon-Scented Fragrance (remarkably similar to Pinaud's Lime Sec Eau de Cologne), Weeping Form/Silhouette, Bark
Corymbia citriodora canopy 
Photo by Matthew Gaston

Botanical Descriptions

  • Flowers: Cap-like flowers, prominent features are the creamy white colored stamens, calyx fused, corolla fused. 
  • Fruits: woody, button-like urn-shaped, 0.6" x 0.4"
  • Foliage Color: Young/immature: Light Green. Mature: Dark Green to Blue-Green
  • Foliage Tip: Acute
  • Foliage Base: Tapering Acute
  • Petiole: 0.25"-0.50"
  • Stipules: N/A
  • Margins: Smooth
  • Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
  • Leaf Shape: Juvenile: Ovate to Elliptic. Mature: Linear to Lanceolate 
  • Leaf Type: Simple
  • Leaf Texture: Smooth (like Tennessee Whiskey)
  • Leaf Special Notes: Leaves contain very potent lemon scent. After the leaves abscises and dries, enzymes in the leave before to degrade the cellular membranes, thereby releasing the volatile compounds associated with the lemon aroma.  

Corymbia citriodora adaxial leaf surface
Photo by Matthew Gaston

Corymbia citriodora abaxial leaf surface
Photo by Matthew Gaston

  • Bark and Trunk: Creamy, tan, pink, and gray mottled, peeling bark. Smooth, flakes on in chips or strips.
Corymbia citriodora bark 
Photo by Matthew Gaston

Horticultural Information

  • Light Preference: Full Sun
  • Light Tolerances: Semi-Sun (prefers Full Sun)
  • Soil Preferences: Slightly Acidic, Loamy, Dry (Mesic), Well-Drained.
  • Tolerances: Humidity, Regular Watering, Drought
  • Water Requirements: Tolerates all types of watering conditions, as long as soil is well drained.
  • Notes on Maintenance: Considered Invasive, an excellent avenue tree and property demarcating tree, but should be reevaluated due to its easy of spread and integration into ecosystems.
  • Propagation: Seed
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 9b
  • Weed Risk Assessment Score (WRA): 10, High Risk

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