Eucalyptus

For other uses, see Eucalyptus (disambiguation).

Eucalyptus

Buds, capsules and foliage of E. terticornis

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae

(unranked): Angiosperms

(unranked): Eudicots

(unranked): Rosids

Order: Myrtales

Family: Myrtaceae

Subfamily: Myrtoideae

Tribe: Eucalypteae

Eucalyptus (pronounced /ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs/[2] ) is a diverse genus of flowering trees (and a few shrubs) in
the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia. There are
more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia, and a very small number are found
in adjacent areas of New Guinea and Indonesia and one as far north as the Philippine
archipelago and Taiwan. Only 15 species occur outside Australia, and only 9 do not occur in Australia.
Species of Eucalyptus are cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics including
theAmericas, Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, China and the Indian
Subcontinent.

Eucalyptus is one of three similar genera that are commonly referred to as "eucalypts," the others
being Corymbia and Angophora. Many, but far from all, are known as gum trees because many
species exude copious sap from any break in the bark (e.g. Scribbly Gum). The generic name is
derived from the Greek words ευ (eu), meaning "well," and καλυπτος (kalyptos), meaning well
"covered," which refers to the operculum on the calyx that initially conceals the flower.[3]

Eucalyptus has attracted attention from global development researchers and environmentalists. It is a
fast-growing source of wood, its oil can be used for cleaning and functions as a naturalinsecticide, and
it is sometimes used to drain swamps and thereby reduce the risk of malaria. Outside their natural
ranges, eucalypts are both lauded for their beneficial economic impact on poor populations[4][5]:22 and
derided for being invasive water-suckers,[6] leading to controversy over their total impact.[7]

[edit]Description

Eucalyptus regnans, a forest tree, showing crown dimension,Tasmania, Australia

Eucalyptus camaldulensis, immature woodland trees, showing collective crown habit, Murray
River, Tocumwal, New South Wales, Australia
Eucalyptus cretata, juvenile, showing low branching ‘mallee’ form, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Eucalyptus angustissima, showing shrub form, Melbourne,Victoria, Australia

Eucalyptus platypus, showing ‘marlock’ form, Melbourne

[edit]Size and habitat

A mature Eucalyptus may take the form of a low shrub or a very large tree. There are three main habit
and four size categories that speciescan be divided into.
As a generalisation "forest trees" are single-stemmed and have acrown forming a minor proportion of
the whole tree height. "Woodlandtrees" are single-stemmed although they may branch at a short
distance above ground level.

"Mallees" are multi-stemmed from ground level, usually less than 10 m (33 ft) in height, often with the
crown predominantly at the ends of the branchlets and individual plants may combine to form either an
open or closed formation. Many mallee trees may be so low-growing as to be considered a shrub.

Two other tree forms are notable in Western Australia and described using the native names "mallet"
and "marlock". The "mallet" is a small to medium-sized tree that does not produce lignotubers and has
a relatively long trunk, a steeply branching habit and often a conspicuously dense terminal crown. This
is the normal habit of mature healthy specimens of Eucalyptus occidentalis, E. astringens,E.
spathulata, E. gardneri, E. dielsii, E. forrestiana, E. salubris, E. clivicola and E. ornata. The
smooth bark of mallets often has a satiny sheen and may be white, cream, grey, green or copper.

The term marlock has been variously used; in Forest Trees of Australia it is defined as a small tree
without lignotubers but with a shorter, lower-branching trunk than a mallet. They usually grow in more
or less pure stands. Clearly recognisable examples are stands of E. platypus, E. vesiculosa and the
unrelated E. stoatei.

The term "morrell" is somewhat obscure in origin and appears to apply to trees of the western
Australian wheatbelt and goldfieldswhich have a long, straight trunk, completely rough-barked. It is
now used mainly for E. longicornis (Red Morrell) and E. melanoxylon(Black Morrell).

Tree sizes follow the convention of:

 Small — to 10 m (33 ft) in height

 Medium-sized — 10–30 m (33–98 ft)

 Tall — 30–60 m (98–200 ft)

 Very tall — over 60 m (200 ft)

[edit]Leaves

Nearly all Eucalyptus are evergreen but some tropical species lose their leaves at the end of the dry
season. As in other members of themyrtle family, Eucalyptus leaves are covered with oil glands. The
copious oils produced are an important feature of the genus. Although mature Eucalyptus trees are
usually towering and fully leafed, their shade is characteristically patchy because the leaves usually
hang downwards.
Leaf and flowerbud cluster ofEucalyptus angophoroides

Eucalyptus tetragona, showing glaucous leaves & stems

The leaves on a mature Eucalyptus plant are commonlylanceolate, petiolate, apparently alternate and
waxy or glossy green. In contrast, the leaves of seedlings are often opposite,sessile and glaucous. But
there are many exceptions to this pattern. Many species such as E. melanophloia and E. setosaretain
the juvenile leaf form even when the plant is reproductively mature. Some species, such as E.
macrocarpa,E. rhodantha and E. crucis, are sought-after ornamentals due to this lifelong juvenile leaf
form. A few species, such as E. petraea, E. dundasii and E. lansdowneana, have shiny green leaves
throughout their life cycle. E. caesia exhibits the opposite pattern of leaf development to
most Eucalyptus, with shiny green leaves in the seedling stage and dull, glaucous leaves in mature
crowns. The contrast between juvenile and adult leaf phases is valuable in field identification.
Four leaf phases are recognised in the development of a Eucalyptus plant: the ‘seedling’, ‘juvenile’,
‘intermediate’ and ‘adult’ phases. However there is no definite transitional point between the phases.
The intermediate phase, when the largest leaves are often formed, links the juvenile and adult phases.
[8]