eucalyptus

"eucalyptus" is also a: user

created by dem bones

(idea) by Inyo (5.4 mon) (print) ? (I like it!) 2 C!s Thu Sep 28 2000 at 3:52:02

As noted by Webster, Eucalyptus trees are beautiful trees native to Australia. They are prized for their form, fast growth, and fragrant leaves. For these reasons they are frequently planted in California, Hawaii, and Florida (in most other areas they are killed by freezes) However, eucalyptus trees have several landscape problems which you should consider before plopping yet another one into the landscape. (Note: if you live in Australia, some of these will not apply)

Flammability: Eucalyptus trees are extremely flammable. In their natural habitat they experience frequent fires and sprout back from stems and stumps. Although the fires don't damage the trees much, they will definitely damage your house if planted nearby. Eucalyptus trees have been reported to have flames that shoot a hundred feet in the air and incinerate anything nearby. yet they are heavily planted in fire-prone areas such as malibu. Consider this if you live near a brushy hillside.. a santa ana wind and a spark could mean destruction of your house and endangerment of your lives

Weak wood: since eucalyptus trees grow so fast, their wood is rather weak. After a wind storm, the ground under a large eucalyptus is usually coated in branches. Although most are small, a mature tree can drop huge branches that can destroy cars and damage houses. People have been killed by branches randomly dropping off eucalyptus trees as well.

Invasibility: although they are not as much a problem as tamarisk or star thistle, eucalyptus trees can naturalize and crowd out native vegetation, disrupt hydrological regimes, and increase fire severity.

the oily leaves in eucalyptus kill most things planted under them. if the leaves are not removed quickly they negate lawns and most other landscaping under them. Pretty much the only things that can survive under an euchalyptus are poison oak or english ivy.

their roots rip the heck out of sidewalks or foundations. These voracious roots also suck massive amounts of water from the soil. Eucalyptus groves in canyons have literally sucked all the water from creeks that used to flow all year.

They can actually kill birds. Many birds in Australia are specially adapted to feed off of the gummy euchalyptus flowers, using their long beaks. Birds in other parts of the world, such as California, lack this adaptation. Oftentimes, in large eucalyptus groves many birds can be found dead on the ground, their mouths glued shut by the gummy secretion formed by the flowers. These trees may also have the same effect on butterflies.

Ironically, despite all these problems, well meaning 'environmentalists' are fighting for the protection of huge invasive stands of eucalyptus near San Francisco. They consider these trees 'heritage trees' even though many are under 20 years old. In addition they have displaced many redwoods and oaks, which can not survive where eucalyptus grows. How someone can prefer a silent, dead eucalyptus grove over a majestic redwood grove or a stately hillside of live oaks i can not understand. There are definitely some huge, majestic eucalyptus trees in California. However, most of them are weedy pests causing a wealth of problems. If you live in a natural area outside of Australia, please don't plant these trees.

(definition) by Webster 1913 (print) Tue Dec 21 1999 at 23:29:39

Eu`ca*lyp"tus (?), n. [NL., from GR. well, good + covered. The buds of Eucalyptus have a hemispherical or conical covering, which falls off at anthesis.] Bot.

A myrtaceous genus of trees, mostly Australian. Many of them grow to an immense height, one or two species exceeding the height even of the California Sequoia.

They have rigid, entire leaves with one edge turned toward the zenith. Most of them secrete resinous gums, whence they called gum trees, and their timber is of great value. Eucalyptus Globulus is the blue gum; E. aigantea, the stringy bark: E. amygdalina, the peppermint tree. E. Gunnii, the Tasmanian cider tree, yields a refreshing drink from wounds made in the bark in the spring. Center species yield oils, tars, acids, dyes and tans. It is said that miasmatic valleys in Algeria and Portugal, and a part of the unhealthy Roman Campagna, have been made more salubrious by planting groves of these trees.

printable version
chaos

Allspice	coolibah tree	eucalypt	This food contains no chemicals. That's right, it's made of pure energy.
Waltzing Matilda	Eucalyptol	Noah's Ark	Fear makes a man kill what he loves
Tamarisk	Victoria Bitter	whistling through grass	Insecticide
gum tree	mallee	The Pacific Solution	Koala
In Los Angeles, something is always burning	January 8, 2002	Jari project	Myrtaceae
Plant Nerd	Stress-Tolerant	Oomycete	sequoia

Y'know, if you log in, you can write something here, or contact authors directly on the site. Create a New User if you don't already have an account.

Login
Password

remember me
password reminder
register

Everything2 Help

Things you could have written:
My old man
Be a problematic duck over there
The Influence of Zoroastrianism on Christianity and Islam
Only a simple computer program
smoked salmon
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief
Mary, Queen of Scots
Everything Quests - The High Seas
Japanese Mythology
The New York Deli Experience
What is Everything?
Total Depravity
Ankle sprain

Clarke
Multiculturalism	(idea)
aneurin
Earl of Landaff	(person)
Heitah
Pseudocide	(idea)
XWiz
Google Knol	(lede)
Mythi
July 24, 2008	(personal)
locke baron
The fall of Earth	(fiction)
BookReader
Fear the Cold	(dream)
Pavlovna
Kathleen MacInnes	(person)
stainedglass
1	(fiction)
kalen
Three "T"s	(idea)
octillion369
Undead	(idea)
archiewood
Ico	(fiction)
Heisenberg
Why I love Everything2	(log)
octillion369
Death Knight	(person)
XWiz
Are you hoping for a miracle?	(review)

This affordable entertainment brought to you by The Everything Development Company