Corymbia citriodora syn. Eucalyptus citriodora steam distilled from the leaves & twigs in Brazil. According to Wikipedia, Lemon-scented gum was first formally described in 1848 by William Jackson Hooker, who gave it the name Eucalyptus citriodora in Thomas Mitchell's Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia. In 1995, Ken Hill and Lawrie Johnson changed the name from Eucalyptus citriodora to Corymbia citriodora. The specific epithet citriodora is Latin, meaning 'lemon-scented'.
Aroma: Sweet, lemony, fresh, with a woody hint, eucalyptus lemon is a middle note with a medium aroma. It has a camphoraceous scent with sweet, citronella notes.
Blends With: Basil, Cajeput, Cedarwood, Citronella, Ginger, Lavender, Lemon, Myrtle, Frankincense, Spearmint and Tea Tree.
Description: The Eucalyptus tree is a tall evergreen that can grow over 250 feet tall. The young trees have bluish-green leaves, while mature trees develop long, narrow, yellowish leaves, creamy-white flowers and a smooth, pale gray bark often covered in a white powder. Eucalyptus leaves are the favourite food of Koalas, and have been used as traditional medicine by the aboriginal peoples of Australia. In the 1980s, the Eucalyptus species and its hybrids were planted commercially in South Africa for the production of pulp and paper, and various other forest products. It has slowly evolved toward the production of essential oils.
Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil Uses: Arthritis, bronchitis, catarhh, cold sores, colds, coughing, fever, flu, poor circulation, sinusitis. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 57-66.]
Major Constituents of Australian Eucalyptus citriodora:
Citronellal 86.3%
Citronellol
Isopulegol
See Essential Oil Safety for contituent lists of Eucalyptus citriodora oils sourced from different regions.
[Private Communication: Condon, 2003. Source cited in Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 335.]
Colour / Consistency: A thin, clear, colourless to pale yellow liquid
Safety Information:Tisserand and Young do not indicate any known hazards for Eucalyptus Citriodora Oil. Reading Tisserand and Young's full profile is recommended. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 336.]
Cautions: Avoid if you have high blood pressure or epilepsy. For external use only, this is considered toxic if taken internally. Dilute before use; may cause skin irritation in some individuals, so a skin test is recommended prior to use. Avoid contact with eyes.
Photo thanks to Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 US