It may not have been uppermost in most minds but March 23rd is National Eucalypt Day. So I took myself off to the Botanic Gardens to hear Bowen talk about them. Before it all recedes into the never-to-be seen again part of my brain, here are some of my takeaways. Nearly 1000 species – and all bar one are natives – and the one that isnt, is from nearby, PNG and it is quite spectacular. The Rainbow Eucalypt.

Eucalypts have evolved to live in dry environments with long dry spells. This has made them incredibly adaptable to withstand heat since they have insulated seeds that only open in response to fire.  They were used in Cyprus to drain swamps- much more effective then Trump’s attempts, and to ward off malaria.

They even have leaves that excrete oils, which help fuel fire to make it more intense and detrimental to less heat-adapted species, giving them a natural advantage in the wild.  Trees are known to absorb heavy metals and traces of gold can occasionally appear in the leaves.

There are so many types and with so much variation in their barks and appearances it’s difficult to keep track of them all. Perhaps my favourite bits are the flowers and gum nuts which are so very beautiful and loved by bees and bats.

Eucalypts have ‘epicormic buds’ under thick bark, which are ready to sprout new stems and leaves after fires to ensure they survive for many years to come.  

Since eucalypts have leaves low in protein and high in toxins, not many animals like them, except the koala, making them one of the most adaptable and resistant trees in the wild.  They strangely have an affinity to acacias and here is a beautiful photo of them coming together.

Shedding bark allows them to rid themselves of lichen and mistletoe – think of it as a scrubbing / cleansing treatment. The colours are amazing.

They take a long time to grow so we need to replant all those forests that have been cleared. But more importantly even the old ones are habitat for animals and unbelievably the Murray Cod spawns in the fallen branches of eucalypts – now that I did not know.