Eucalyptus Trees: Good or Bad?
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Eucalyptus Trees: Good or Bad?
- From: S* H*
- Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 11:59:48 +1100
The point Moira makes below is a good one:
"I think in any case one cannot just talk of one behavour in respect of
gums. The huge Eucalyptus genus really occupies a unique place in
Australia with its different species filling an immense variety of
niches which in other countries might each have their own special genera
- a sort of all-purpose type of tree."
- there is a eucalypt for the hot and humid tropics to the mountain ranges
to the dry desert of central Australia to the river red gums growing by
rivers and in flood plains, majestic towering giants to shrubs to all but
prostrate.
Regarding their root systems, I often have seedlings of red stringybarks
(don't know the botanical name off the top of my head) come up in my garden
(which is originally just fenced off paddock) and initially they have a tap
root several times the length of the seedling. However, as mature trees
the root systems do seem very shallow and after continuous heavy rainfall
followed by strong winds we do find trees in the paddocks blown over and
the uprooted root system looks ridiculously small for such large trees -
but given the tiniest piece of root still in the ground and it very quickly
shoots again.
The only way even here in Australia to get the right eucalypt for a
particular situation is to go to a good local native nursery - the general
nursery trade really don't seem to know enough about them and generally
only stock those with the most showy flowers.
Shelley
Shelley Harvey
New England Tablelands
Northern New South Wales
Australia
