Botanical atlas

Lemon Ironbark

Eucalyptus staigeriana

Long before it was known outside Australia, this lemon ironbark grew scattered through the dry woodlands of Cape York, where its narrow leaves carried a fragrance closer to lemon verbena than to the sharp medicinal camphor most people associate with eucalyptus. Australian Aboriginal communities across the continent had a long, varied relationship with eucalypt leaves generally, crushing and warming them to ease chesty colds and applying them to soothe aches, and staigeriana's unusually sweet, citral-rich oil later made it a favorite of perfumers and herbal distillers who wanted eucalyptus's clearing quality without the harshness. By the twentieth century, growers in Guatemala and Brazil had taken up staigeriana as a plantation crop, prized precisely because it smelled like a lemon grove rather than a hospital ward.

Safety.

Eucalyptus essential oil is toxic if swallowed, even small amounts have caused seizures and loss of consciousness in children, so never take it internally and keep it out of reach. Avoid using the oil or strong leaf preparations near the face of infants and young children. It may also interact with sedative medications and is best avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.