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Lophostemon confertus (Brisbane Box) - A moderate to fast growing upright, evergreen tree that typically grows to 30 to 40 feet tall by 15 to 25 feet wide in cultivation. In youth one can expect 2 to 3 feet of grown per year up to this height before growth slows, but old specimens can be found to 60 to 70 feet tall and, in its natural habitat, old trees are known to reach twice this height. It produces a dense and symmetrical upright rounded head with 4- to 6-inch-long glossy lance-shaped leaves held in whorls at the branch tips. Starting at a young age, attractive reddish-brown bark peels off to reveal a lighter grayish color underneath. Lateral clusters of 1-inch-wide feathery white flowers bloom in the spring and summer. The pollinated flowers develop into woody capsules by late summer.
Plant in full to part sun while providing ample water in a well-drained soil, once established it is very drought tolerant. Frost sensitive when young but cold and frost hardy at maturity to at least 25° F - trees in the Goleta Valley weathered the short duration temperatures just below 20° F in the 1990 Christmas freeze. Chlorosis is sometimes a problem if the soil is poor. This tree is a great choice for a lawn specimen, street planting, park or garden tree and provides a good visual screen or wind break. It is a beautiful Eucalyptus-like tree, and is closely related, but is more refined looking and less messy than most true Eucalyptus species. Though not outstandingly showy as a whole, the individual flowers are quite unusual and attractive with 5 long feathery staminal fascicles alternating with round white petals and these flowers are quite attractive to bees.
Brisbane box is native to the wet areas of semi-tropical areas of northeastern part of the Australian in the state of Queensland south to coastal central New South Wales. This tree was long known as Tristania conferta, the name it was first described as in 1812 but the genus was split in 1982 with this plant becoming Lophostemon confertus, while the other popular tree in the genus, known as Tristania laurina, became Tristaniopsis laurina. The name for this new genus comes from the Greek words 'lophos' meaning a "crest" and 'stemon' meaning a "stamen" in reference to the feathery crested stamens. The specific epithet means "dense", referring to the dense foliage.
This tree has long been grown in California. See was initially imported by William Walker at Golden Gate Nursery in San Francisco in 1859 and was listed in the catalog of Frederick Ludemann's Pacific Nursery on Baker Street in San Francisco by 1874. We grew this tree from 1979 until 2013 and would have continued growing this useful tree were it not also being grown by nearly every other nursery. We have nice specimen trees lining the road up to the nursery entrance and some of the tallest ones in town are planted next door in front of the telephone company building at the corner of San Marcos Road and Hollister Ave.
This information about Lophostemon confertus displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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