Choose eucalyptus by the job: a silver-dollar cut plant, a hardy cider or snow gum, or a frost-free rainbow. Lemon-scented and flowering gums are Corymbia on this list.
Choose a silver-dollar cut plant, a hardy gum, or a tropical rainbow
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Cut stems and wreaths | Baby Blue or Argyle apple | Expecting a rainbow gum to stay a 4-foot shrub |
| A freeze most winters | Cider gum or a snow gum | Rainbow gum in the ground |
| Frost-free bark tree | Rainbow gum with room to mature | A rainbow as a patio annual |
| Lemon scent or red flowers | Lemon-scented gum or flowering gum | A lemon-scented gum stuffed into a florist pot as if it were Baby Blue |
Know your USDA hardiness zone before you pick a type of eucalyptus that will take your winter. Type your ZIP below.
2023 USDA ZIP listings (PRISM / USDA-ARS). Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone · Official USDA map.
Read the kind on the tag, not only the word gum. [1] Cider gum is the hardy silver-leaf; silver-dollar is the usual cut plant. [2] Rainbow gum is a rainforest tree with colored bark, not a cider gum. [3]
Silver dollar vs cider gum vs rainbow?
Silver dollar is the round-leaf cut plant. Cider gum is the hardy landscape class. Rainbow gum is frost-free and large.
Browse by kind
Silver-dollar cut plants
Baby Blue and Argyle apple keep the round silver leaves florists cut. Spinning gum and bookleaf mallee sit here. Sun and drain stay on How to Grow Eucalyptus.
Hardy cider and snow gums
cider gum is the hardiest silver-leaf. snow gum, Jounama, alpine snow gum, and Tasmanian snow gum are the cold class — not a rainbow gum.
Landscape gums
Narrow-leaved peppermint, mountain gum, and candlebark are larger trees for a mild yard. Leave room; they are not patio annuals.
Rainbow gum
rainbow gum peels into colored bark and wants a frost-free site and a wide crown. It is not a cider gum.
Flowering and lemon-scented gums
lemon-scented gum and flowering gum are Corymbia. Read the tag for mature size and scent — they are not a silver-dollar cut shrub.
Not sweet gum — and not a silver-dollar jade
Sweet gum is Liquidambar, a deciduous American tree with star-shaped leaves and spiky balls. Black gum is Nyssa. Neither is a eucalyptus. [4] Silver-dollar plant on a houseplant tag is usually Crassula jade — fleshy leaves, cactus mix, not a gum. Lunaria is a biennial with papery seed discs, sometimes sold as money plant. Paperbark maple is Acer.
How do I tell eucalyptus from sweet gum or jade?
Eucalyptus is an evergreen Australian gum with an oil scent. Sweet gum is Liquidambar. Silver-dollar jade is a succulent Crassula.
If the tag says sweet gum or silver-dollar jade, you do not have a eucalyptus — pick again.
FAQ
Do you list blue gum or Silver Drop?
Blue gum and Silver Drop are shop names. Pick from the silver-dollar, hardy, landscape, rainbow, or flowering groups above.
Is lemon-scented gum still a eucalyptus?
On the tag it is often still sold as eucalyptus. Botanically it is Corymbia. Treat it as a flowering or lemon-scented gum, not a silver-dollar cut shrub.
Related guides
References
- [1] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eucalyptus-cinerea/ - [2] University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture -
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/eucalyptus-hardy-10-2-09.aspx - [3] Gardener's Path -
https://gardenerspath.com/plants/landscape-trees/grow-eucalyptus/ - [4] NC State Extension Gardener -
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/crassula-arborescens/
This note is part of Eucalyptus Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors