Eu cry phi a 
moorei 
Eucryphia moorei is a small handsome 
tree or tall shrub which occurs naturally 
in cool temperate rainforest areas on the 
moist slopes of the coastal ranges in 
southern New South Wales and Victoria. 
It is generally found growing in sheltered 
areas in acid soils rich in organic matter. 
The horticultural merit of E. moorei has 
not been widely recognised. Its slender, 
upright growth habit makes it ideally 
suitable for small domestic gardens in the 
sheltered environment of a courtyard or 
a small secluded corner. It grows to a 
height of 6-15 m and looks particularly 
attractive when laden with white blossoms 
from January to March. 
Eucryphia is the only genus in the family 
Eucryphiaceae and it occurs only in the 
southern hemisphere with two species in 
Chile and three in Australia. E. moorei is 
commonly called pinkwood, plumwood or 
eastern leatherwood. The pale, pinkish- 
brown, close-grained timber was used by 
the early settlers for cabinet making and 
possibly axe and tool handles. It is related 
to the Tasmanian E. lucida which yields 
the highly prized leatherwood honey. 
The bright green leaves which are paler 
on the undersurface have a tendency to 
spread horizontally. They are composed 
of 5 to 13 narrowly oblong leaflets which 
are 25-50 mm long. The stalked white 
flowers look somewhat like an open rose 
and are composed of 4 broad white petals 
and numerous fluffy stamens. They can 
be solitary or clustered in the upper leaf 
axils. The interesting flower buds are 
enclosed in a cap which is formed by the 
fusion of the sepals at their tips. The cap 
falls off when the flower opens. The fruit 
is a hard egg-shaped capsule 8-16 mm 
long which splits into segments when ripe 
to release the small winged seeds. The 
seed capsules ripen between February 
and April. They should be placed in a 
brown paper bag in a warm place until 
they split open. The capsules themselves 
are most attractive when they split and can 
be used in dried flower arrangements. 
E. moorei is best propagated from seed. 
A mixture of one part loam, one part peat 
moss and one part sand is recommended 
as a potting medium. For the successful 
cultivation of this species well composted 
soil in a sheltered shaded position is 
essential. The soil should be kept moist 
during dry periods. 
344 
M. FAGG 
