Morrisby’s gum

About the plant

This gum tree is endemic to south-eastern Tasmania. There are just two known natural populations, by Calverts Hill and Risdon, with about 2,000 plants in total.

Endangered

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Cultural use

Plant has cultural uses, these might be every day or ceremonial
Material

Plant provides materials for manufacturing either fibre or timber
Medicine

Plant or components of this plant are used in medicine

Click on icon to reveal more

Facts

Endemic to south-eastern Tasmania
High in volatile oils
A natural insecticide
Threatened by agricultural expansion

Stamen of *Eucalyptus morrisbyi*
© Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Tasmania

*Eucalyptus morrisbyi* at Calverts Hill Nature Reserve
By Shaun Brooks via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Seed collecting

We grew our specimen in the Temperate House from seeds collected from the wild by the Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre. By 2027 our specimens should be ready for us to harvest more seed to add to the Millennium Seed Bank in Wakehurst.

While protecting the populations at Calverts Hill, we’re also collecting seeds from new locations. Several old forgotten orchards have been rediscovered and these populations offer the chance of recovering as much genetic diversity as possible.

Eucalypts

Australian forests were once covered in a diverse tropical flora. Eucalypts have evolved over the past 100 million years, and are well adapted to dry climates and regular burning. Eucalypt forest now dominates the Australian continent, accounting for about 75% of its vegetation.

This is Australia’s most threatened eucalyptus

Endangered

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Cultural use

Plant has cultural uses, these might be every day or ceremonial
Material

Plant provides materials for manufacturing either fibre or timber
Medicine

Plant or components of this plant are used in medicine

Click on icon to reveal more

This is Australia’s most threatened eucalyptus

Where to find this plant

Temperate House

Home to 1,500 plant species from temperate regions around the world.

Australia: Temperate Region

The world’s smallest and oldest continent. Home to around 23,845 plant species, of which about 86% are endemic.