RE: Eucalyptus

heh I like Eucs   ;-)

mind you its rather amusing for me to hear people deriding Australian
plants, makes a change.

I gripe about the Euc in my backyard as well though, it produces thousands
of tiny cone shaped nuts 
that stick into my bare feet rather painfully!!!  Not a species I would have
planted (I only know it as Queensland box gum, but I think it may have been
taken out of the genus Eucalyptus, and I couldn't find a name for it???)

I've just planted two E. erythrocorys in my front yard as I do like the huge
red capped buds and brilliant yellow flowers (think I may have raved about
these before??)

Euc's do love shedding their bark but if you plant one that does then pick
one that has a beautiful display afterwards, the bronze, white, blood reds
or silver trunks of some spp. are just stunning in the late evening or early
morning light  and I reckon the bark looks nice when its hanging of in
strips as well.  The leaves have quite high tannin levels so its not
suprising that nothing much grows under them.  Streams, creeks and even
rivers can be turned a tea brown colour by leaves falling into them.
The water tank on a friends bush block is a weak tea colour from the leaf
tannins that have leached into it.  Tastes OK though.  Birds and bees go
crazy for the nectar produced by Euc's when flowering look carefully next
time you see a plantation of Euc's thats flowering and see if any
enterprising soul has put their bee hives in it.  Euc honey is great and is
quite different depending on the spp. of Euc the nectar was collected from.
I prefer the strong rich honeys from red gums.

Cheers, Rod
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Rod Randall
Weed Risk Assessment
Weed Science Group, Agriculture Western Australia

                 "I weed..." 

Weed Risk Assessment Home Page:
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/progserv/plants/weeds/weedsci2.htm

Weed List Page:
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/progserv/plants/weeds/weeds/weedlist.htm

Weed Activity Calender:
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/progserv/plants/weeds/calendar.htm

WeedBusters Home page:
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/progserv/plants/weeds/buster/buster.htm

Weed Science Group Home Page:
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/progserv/plants/weeds/

Plant Protection Society & Western Weeds Homepage:
http://www.wantree.com.au/~weeds/

 ph: 08 9368 3443
fax: 08 9474 3814
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> ----------
> From: 	William A. Grant
> Reply To: 	grant@cruzio.com
> Sent: 	Wednesday, 7 April 1999 7:52 AM
> To: 	medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: 	Eucalyptus
> 
> Can we get a conversation going on eucalyptus? I am surrounded by them,
> and they do provide a permanent supply of firewood. But the mess they make
> is just awful. The three kinds on my property are, I am sure, the worst
> kinds of the lot. Bark peelings are all over my garden now after a gale
> force wind last Saturday. Raking up the leaves is a full-time job. It is
> easy to pull up the seedlings - hundreds of them every year. This should
> be a cautionary tale for others. If you are going to plant any, make sure
> they are the beautiful, tame ones.
> Bill Grant   Monterey Bay   California
>
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