Eucalyptus

Location & distribution maps

Plant  information

Common name:                unknown  

Conservation status:  unknown

Etymology:   

• The name Eucalyptus is derived from the Ancient Greek words eu meaning 'good'and kalypto meaning '(I) cover, conceal, hide', referring to the operculum covering the flower buds

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Eucalyptus (/ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs/)[2] is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts.[3] Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut".

Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire.

A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent. Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. In some countries, however, they have been removed because they are highly flammable

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucalyptus 

Operculum: An operculum (pl. opercula) or calyptra (from Ancient Greek καλύπτρα (kalúptra) 'veil') is a cap-like structure in some flowering plants, mosses, and fungi. It is a covering, hood or lid, describing a feature in plant morphology.

Many eucalypts are called "gum trees" because of a sticky, gum-like substance they exude from their trunks. Some of the other common names for different eucalypts include:

* Apple - They look like apple trees (eg. Angophora bakeri, "Narrow-leaved apple")

* Ash - Their timber is similar to that of European ash trees (eg. E. regnans, "Mountain ash")

* Blackbutt - The lower bark is usually black due to past fires (eg. E. pilularis, "Blackbutt")

* Bloodwood - Timber often has pockets of a dark red gum called "kino" (eg. Corymbia eximia, "Yellow bloodwood")

* Box - The bark stays on the tree and is short fibered; plates of bark may shear off with age (eg. E. melliodora ("Yellow box")

* Ironbark - The bark stays on the tree and is hard and deeply furrowed (eg. E. crebra, "Narrow-leaved ironbark")

* Mallee - Multi-stemmed trees, usually fairly short (eg. E. albida, "White-leaved mallee")

* Peppermint - The oil in the leaves smells like peppermint. (eg. E. dives, "Broad-leaved peppermint")

* Ribbon Gum - Bark is deciduous and is shed in long strips that hang from the branches (eg. E. viminalis, "Ribbon gum")

* Scribbly Gum - The smooth trunk is marked with "scribbles" caused by an insect larva (eg. E. sclerophylla, "Scribbly gum")

* Stringybark - Bark consists of long fibers that can be pulled off in "strings" (eg. E. eugenioides, "Thin-leaved stringybark")

Sources of information:

• (2023)