EUCALYPTUS. 



By Abbot Kinney, Lamanda Park, Cal. 



Among the foreign trees that may be grown in the warmest parts of 

 the United States none are of higher economic value than several species 

 of eucalyptus. The eucalyptus was introduced in California a number 

 of years ago, and the most common form, Eucalyptus globulus, is now 

 extensively grown in the southern part of that State. Comparatively 

 few of the 150 species have been tested in the Gulf States, and it is 

 yet an open question if any will be a complete success in the Gulf region, 

 while in southern Florida several have become well acclimated. 



GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 



The eucalyptus is a genus of woody plants varying in height from 

 a few feet to over 400 feet, and affording great variety in foliage and 

 flower. The genus is one of the largest among tree forms, and all the 

 species are natives of the Australian continent and adjacent islands. 

 None have been found in New Zealand, on the one side, nor in Asia 

 on the other. The foliage of all the species is persistent; i. e., is ever- 

 green, and of many shades, running through grays, blues, and greens. 

 The foliage as a whole may be fairly described as generally gray or 

 dull green, of similar color on both sides of the leaf, hanging edgewise 

 to the sky, and sickle-shaped. The blue color is almost entirely due to 

 a bloom which when rubbed off leaves the leaf or fruit a dull green. 



One striking characteristic of the eucalypts is the extraordinary 

 difference of the foliage in both shape and color of young and old trees. 

 The leaves of the young blue gum, for instance, are opposite, sessile or 

 stemless, roundish to oval in shape upon a sharply quadrangular stem, 

 and a bright gendarme blue in color. The leaves on mature trees are 

 scattered, long-stalked, sickle-shaped, on a round stem, and a saturated 

 green in color. 



The color of the new growth of the mature trees varies greatly in 

 the different species. In the blue gum, E. globulus, the new growth is 

 green with a yellow shading, often changing to a red brown; in E. 

 rostrata, red gum, it is a bright willow green; in E. steivartiana it is 

 blue, while the main foliage is green; in polyanthema, it is blue; in E. 

 viminalis, manna gum, and in E. corynocalyx, sugar gum, it is red. 



The peculiarly strong eucalyptus smell of t\\e leaves is absolutely the 



only apparent point in common between the yearling and the mature 



tree of E. globulus. Nearly all the species have a yearling condition 



quite dissimilar from the grown form. 



23 



