Effulgent Surge Eucalyptus
Effulgent Surge Eucalyptus (#09D8AE) is a true teal with a vibrant character. It holds its own as a focal accent, carrying visual weight without tipping into neon territory. Its HSL profile (168°, 92%, 44%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary red. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.
Etymology
Latin effulgēns, shining-out — present-participle of effulgere, sharing root with fulgor (lightning). As a color modifier, effulgent implies a saturated-and-radiating-light-out quality, the bright color of Renaissance-Madonna halo-and-aureole gold-leaf-and-pigment emission. Sits at the bright-and-saturated end of the grid, parallel to resplendent and radiant in usage.
Latin surgere, to rise up. As a color modifier, surge implies a swelling-tide-and-storm-rise quality, the visual register of Atlantic-storm-front tide-and-spring-tide rising-sea-water surge-and-sea-spray coastal-flooding surfaces under low-pressure sky. Sits at the modifier-and-place end of the grid, parallel to wave and whirl in usage.
The genus Eucalyptus, the gum trees that dominate the Australian forest canopy and have been planted across the world for fast-growth timber and the menthol-camphor oil. The color refers to mature eucalyptus leaves with their pale waxy bloom: a soft, slightly muted blue-green with the matte finish of cuticle that reflects more light than typical foliage. Cooler than sage, warmer than mint.
Closest matches
The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.
Variations
Click any swatch to exploreHarmonies
Accessibility
How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.
The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.