Lemon-Scented Gum
Scientific name: Corymbia citriodora
Overview
Lemon-Scented Gum (Corymbia citriodora) is a tall eastern Australian tree famous for its smooth pale trunk and strongly lemon-scented foliage. It is widely planted in warm climates for shade, ornament, essential oil, and timber. The dense, strong wood is used for flooring, decking, poles, construction, bridge work, and heavy-duty outdoor applications.
Quick Facts
- Common Name: Lemon-Scented Gum
- Alternate Common Name(s): Narrow-Leaved Box, Inland Lemon-Scented Gum
- Scientific Name: Corymbia citriodora
- Region: Oceania & Pacific Woods
- Tree Size: Typically 80–160 ft (25–50 m) tall
- Average Dried Weight: Approximately 62 lb/ft³ (990 kg/m³)
- Janka Hardness: Approximately 2,700 lbf (12,000 N)
- Grain: Usually interlocked
- Texture: Fine to medium and even
Identification Characteristics
Lemon-Scented Gum has a tall, straight trunk with smooth powdery white to pale gray bark that sheds in thin patches. Crushing the narrow leaves releases a distinctive lemon fragrance. The heartwood is pale tan to light brown, sometimes pinkish, with fine even texture and interlocked grain.
Key identification traits include:
- Smooth white to pale gray powdery bark, shedding in thin patches
- Juvenile leaves rough and hairy, releasing a strong lemon scent when crushed
- Adult leaves narrow, aromatic, and rich in citronellal
- Creamy white flowers borne in clustered umbels
- Urn-shaped woody fruit with enclosed or rim-level valves
- Dense pale tan to light brown heartwood with fine texture and interlocked grain
Working Properties
Lemon-Scented Gum is an exceptionally dense, hard timber. Its interlocked grain can make machining demanding, and careful drying is important because shrinkage can be substantial. Once properly seasoned and surfaced, the pale timber can produce durable structural components and attractive furniture.
- Use sharp carbide tooling and modest feed rates to manage the high density.
- Interlocked grain can tear during planing; light cuts and high cutting angles improve results.
- Pre-drill fastener holes to reduce splitting and excessive tool wear.
- Dry under a controlled schedule to limit checking, distortion, and shrinkage.
- Finishes well after thorough sanding and careful surface preparation.
Safety Note
As with other hardwoods, avoid breathing Lemon-Scented Gum dust during sawing, routing, turning, or sanding. Use effective dust extraction, suitable respiratory and eye protection, and wash exposed skin after handling. Dense timber can also generate considerable heat during machining, so keep cutters sharp and work at controlled feed rates.
Common Uses
Lemon-Scented Gum is extremely hard, heavy, and durable. It is demanding to machine but excels in high-wear and structural applications.
- Hardwearing flooring and industrial decking, bridge decking, posts, poles, and farm structures
- Heavy engineering and structural construction
- Railway sleepers
- Flooring and durable interior joinery
- Furniture and specialty work where weight is acceptable
- Fuelwood and charcoal
Sustainability & Notes
Lemon-Scented Gum is widespread in cultivation and is also grown in plantations. Native forest sourcing should be legal and documented, while plantation-grown timber and essential-oil production can reduce pressure on natural stands. In some regions outside Australia it can naturalize, so planting should follow local guidance.
Comparative Notes & Related Species
- River Red Gum – A widespread Australian eucalyptus with distinctly redder heartwood, providing a useful comparison in color, habitat, and commercial use.
- Sydney Blue Gum – A tall eastern Australian species whose pink to reddish-brown timber contrasts with Lemon-Scented Gum’s paler, denser wood.
- Tallowwood – Another dense Australian utility hardwood, useful for comparing color, durability, and exterior performance.
- Blackbutt – A major structural timber with generally lighter weight and broader commercial availability than Lemon-Scented Gum.
Related Guides
- Eucalyptus Species Overview – Compare Lemon-Scented Gum with other eucalyptus species and review the identification features shared across the group.
- Oceania & Pacific Woods – Explore hardwoods native to Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring Pacific regions.
- Understanding Interlocked vs. Straight Grain – Learn how grain direction affects machining, strength, figure, and surface quality.
- Preventing Tear-Out in Interlocked Grain – Review practical techniques for cleaner planing and routing of reversing grain.
- Plantation vs. Wild-Harvested Hardwoods – Understand how timber origin affects availability, growth characteristics, sustainability, and sourcing.
Compare Wood Properties
See how this species ranks in density and hardness using our Wood Density & Janka Hardness Chart. You can also explore Hardest Woods, Softest Woods, and Most Dense Woods for quick comparisons.
Collector Notes
Lemon-Scented Gum is a valuable reference sample for collectors because its pale color and exceptional density challenge the assumption that very heavy Australian eucalypts are always dark red. A documented specimen should include face grain and end grain, geographic origin, tree age if known, and whether the material came from a plantation, farm shelterbelt, salvage source, or the restricted native range.
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Resources
Authoritative botanical and forestry references used in compiling information about this species include:
• USDA Forest Service – Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material
https://www.fpl.fs.usda.gov/products/publications/
• The Wood Database – Global reference for wood identification, physical properties, and woodworking characteristics
https://www.wood-database.com/
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – Plants of the World Online – Botanical taxonomy and species distribution database
https://powo.science.kew.org/
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN Red List) – Global conservation status assessments
https://www.iucnredlist.org/
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) – International trade regulations for protected plant species
https://cites.org/
Additional forestry publications, academic research papers, and regional timber studies may also be referenced where available.
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Availability & Where to Buy
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