Eucalyptus citriodora or Corymbia citriodora, also known as lemon gum or lemon scented gum, is endemic to North Eastern Australia.
The Lemon eucalyptus is a tree which grows tall and straight and the timber is used for structural endeavors such as beams, flooring, tool handles, poles & bridges.
Its flowers are important for honey production and it is popular in horticulture as an ornamental tree and used in revegetation projects.
The essential oil is refined from the leaves of the tree and the smell mostly includes a strong odour similar to citronella oil, with a slight hint of the scent of lemon.
Lemon eucalyptus oil is used for preventing mosquito bites, in cosmetics, medicines, for treating muscle spasms, toenail fungus, and osteoarthritis and other joint pain. It is also an ingredient in chest rubs used to relieve congestion.
Lemon eucalyptus oil mainly consists of the chemical citronellal, which is what is attributed to repelling mosquitoes and killing fungus.
References:
LEMON EUCALYPTUS: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews. 2022. LEMON EUCALYPTUS: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.webmd.com/…/ingredientmono…/lemon-eucalyptus. [Accessed 17 August 2022].
PubMed. 2022. Comparative laboratory and field evaluation of repellent formulations containing deet and lemon eucalyptus oil against mosquitoes in Queensland, Australia – PubMed. [ONLINE] Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24772681/. [Accessed 19 August 2022].
Wikipedia. 2022. Corymbia citriodora – Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corymbia_citriodora. [Accessed 19 August 2022].
Corymbia citriodora – Growing Native Plants. 2022. Corymbia citriodora – Growing Native Plants. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.anbg.gov.au/…/trai…/corymbia-citriodora.html. [Accessed 19 August 2022].