EUCALYPTUS GLOBULUS



Common names: Tasmanian Blue Gum, Blue Gum Eucalyptus
Description: Aromatic tree, with bark that sheds in long strips, leaving smooth, hard surface below. Up to 80 feet tall.
Flowers: Simple, single flowered (somtimes 3), axillary, extremely glaucous. Fruit ("gum nut") is sessile, glaucous, with 4 distinct ribs and concave ring around rim.
Leaves: Adult leaves are sickle shaped, hang vertically and waxy blue to green in color. Juvenile leaves are oval in shape, bluish-green and have square stems.
Reproduction: Reproduces by seeds and resprouting. Capsules ("gum nut") open immediately upon ripening and disperse seeds by wind. Blue gum also sprouts readily from the main trunk.
Flowering: November to April.
Habitat and Ecology: Native to Australia. First cultivated in California as an ornamental, but widespread for fuel and timber wood.