This E. burdettiana was purchased from Dean Nicolle in March 2020, and planted here in May of that year. After checking where E. burdettiana was likely to grow in Western Australia, and what conditions it favoured, I thought this site on the side of a slope comprised of granite boulders might be to its liking. When this tree was planted it had been raining, and water regularly trickled down the boulder above the the small depression in which it had been planted. As the photos below show, it was inclined to grow very quickly, and because this site was also open to strong southerly winds, the sapling was staked on three sides with ropes so that it could move around but would not be blown over.
However, in early 2023, having become rapidly top-heavy, it was discovered to have almost completely blown over ‘uphill’ rather than downhill – which would have been more expected. The roots on the downhill side were thus exposed and some of the longer thicker roots on either side of the drip line looked as if they had been severed.
After this, the tree was righted and re-staked, and extra soil and two large logs were used at the base of the downhill side of the tree to help the roots become more secure. The following 4 images were taken after the restaking and from 4 different angles. They are reproduced below for recording how it looked then and in case it later succumbs to local wind and rain conditions.
According to Nicolle (2016: 174) E. burdettiana is rare both in cultivation and in the wild, so I was even more keen to keep it alive. The Euclid site provides for further information on, and description of this species .
Update July 2023: E. burdettiana seems to have survived the winter so far, and is living in a trickle again. Some of the new leaves look as if they are unhappy with the cold, but they are not dying. Latest image below
