Eucalypt

Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera: Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.

In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the new genus Corymbia. Although separate, the three groups are allied and it remains acceptable to refer to the members of all three genera Angophora, Corymbia and Eucalyptus as "eucalypts"

Bushfires

New growth sprouting vigorously from epicormic buds beneath the thick bushfire damaged bark of a Eucalyptus tree

Eucalypts are attuned to withstand fire in several ways:

• Their seeds are often held in an insulated capsule, which is only opened in response to and after the devastation of a bushfire. Once cooled down, it is a freshly fertilised seed bed.
• Oils in the leaves tend to make the fire more severe and therefore more damaging to less attuned species.
• Epicormic buds under the often thick bark of the trunk and branches are ready to sprout new stems and leaves after a fire.

These advantages work well in areas affected by long dry spells.

There are over 700 species of Eucalypt that dominates landscapes all over Australia, but it is reduced in diversity in the rainforests and arid envrironments.

Koala

Eucalypt leaves are low in protein and high in toxins. The main consumer of Eucalypt leaves is the Koala, which only eats some varieties, and only sometimes.

External links

• Currency Creek Arboretum - Eucalypt Research at Currency Creek Arboretum