Pronounciation: Ewe-ka-LIP-tus spath-u-LA-ta

Hardiness zones:
Sunset 8-24
USDA 9-11 (arid and semi arid regions best)

Landscape Use: Small to medium-sized, open-canopied tree that casts a light shade, a great residential or patio tree, excellent for nightime uplighting of smooth trunk character, background, screen

Form & Character: Sleek (smooth bronzy brown trunk) and sassy - a refined evergreen small tree with an endearing rounded habit with age.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, woody, 'broadleaf' (actually quite narrow) perennial tree, moderate and open to 20 to 30 feet with somewhat less than equal spread, often multi-trunk. Trunk always smooth, Grayish cinnamon brown in color shedding a single layer in early summer to become bronze metallic in color.

Foliage/Texture: Foliage is nearly linear, not falcate, to 3-inches long, gray green sometimes tinged with red when immature. Like many eucalypts, the trunk of narrow-leaf gimlet sheds a single layer during early summer like a snake sheds it skin; very fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Small golden cream white to pink to red flowers in terminal conflorescent (clustered) in groupings of 3 to 7, flower peduncles are narrowly flattened or angular; fruits are very small capsules, less than 1-inch wide, hemispherical with exserted valves.

Seasonal Color: Very, very subtle floral display in spring and fall. New foliage is reddish.

Temperature: Tolerant, cold hardy to 15^o to 20^oF and heat tolerant to 118^oF.

Sad note of obituary: The ridiculous, hellacious summer heat of 2020 killed many a narrow-leaf gimlet trees across the Phoenix metro area.

Light: Full sun

Soil: Tolerant, suitable for extreme saline sites (ECe 8.0-16.0 dS/m).

Watering: Moderately drought tolerant. Excessive water encourages growth of weak wood.

Pruning: Elevate canopy base to expose trunk character. Use thinning cuts when the tree is young to establish a strong scaffold branch system.

Propagation: Seed, reported to germinate easily when seed are fresh.

Disease and Pests: Narrow-leaf gimlet is susceptible to bacterial wet wood that is typically spread through use of unsterilized pruning equipment.

Additional comments: Once established, narrow-leaf gimlet is potentially one of the best small eucalyptus for Phoenix residential landscapes. Be sure to screen nursery stock for upright forms with a straight and sturdy trunk and smaller adult leaves. Otherwise, be sure to train young trees rigorously to establish a strong and well balanced scaffold branch system. If not trained, this small tree will show 'malle' (shrub) characteristics which may be sufficient when used as a very large background screening plant. The wood of narrow leaf gimlet is not as dense as other eucalyptus, bu can be used in wood working.

Curiosity corner: Check out this really cool burl growing on a large specimen in north central Phoenix.