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Eucalyptus: The Good and the Bad

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Jonathon Engels, a long-time vegetarian turned vegan, is currently on a trip from Guatemala to... Read More

There are hundreds of species of eucalyptus trees and shrubs, all of which are part of the larger myrtle family. The family includes allspice, guava, and clove. Like many other members of the family, eucalypts are known for their aroma and essential oils.

Eucalyptus plants vary greatly in size, with some mature shrubs barely passing three feet tall and massive trees surpassing 300 feet tall. The mountain ash, or Eucalyptus regnans, can easily stand over 300 feet tall and is the tallest flowering plant on the planet.

Because eucalyptus, a largely Australian genus of trees, are useful in many ways, they are recognized the world over, and they have been cultivated across the globe as well. Unfortunately, eucalyptus plantations have had some negative results along with positives since Cook first introduced eucalypts to the world in the late 1700s.

Good or bad or both, eucalyptus are plants that warrant learning a bit of trivia about, and that’s what we are doing today.

Source: Gardening Australia/YouTube

Getting to Know the Eucalyptus Trees

Most eucalyptus trees are native to Australia, with a few species found naturally in nearby New Guinea and Indonesia. Around three-quarters of Australia’s native forests are composed of eucalyptus trees.

Though species are in both tropical and temperate climates, they generally have low cold tolerance, and most are evergreen.

Size can be quite variable among eucalyptus, but seven species eclipse 250 feet tall and are amongst the tallest trees in the world. However, over half of the Eucalyptus genus are shrubs that don’t surpass 35 feet. Either way, they are known to be fast-growing plants, and this characteristic has helped to make them popular.

Eucalyptus are known for being aromatic plants with distinctive flowers and fruits (known as gumnuts). The flowers lack petals and have lots of showy stamens. The gumnuts are woody and cone-shaped with rod-shaped seeds.

The Cultivation of the Eucalyptus

Since the 1770s, eucalyptus trees have been cultivated outside of Australia. They have been grown prolifically in places like California, Argentina, Portugal, China, Ethiopia, and India.

Eucalypts are prized for timber, pulpwood for paper, charcoal production, and essential oils. Perhaps the most popular global and cash-producing species is the Eucalyptus globulus, or blue gum, which is used for pulpwood and oils.

Eucalyptus has high oil content, which makes it more rot-resistant and also very flammable. It is often grown as firewood, too. When cut down at the base, or coppiced, it can grow back to produce more wood.

In South Africa, it is a popular tree for honey production. In Italy, it is popular for windbreaks. Greece uses eucalyptus in pharmaceutical products. In Sri Lanka, they are used for utility poles and railway sleepers. They were so popular in Ethiopia that they have become a defining feature of Addis Ababa.

Source: Wildfire Preparation/YouTube

The Problem(s) with Eucalypts

Unfortunately, eucalyptus plantations have often proven detrimental to the local ecology. As imported trees, eucalyptus can be somewhat noxious visitors. In Australia, they are foodstuff for resident marsupials like possums and koalas. However, for animals that haven’t evolved alongside them, the oils and compounds are toxic. That means local animals are losing sources of food when stands of eucalyptus take the place of native trees and plants.

But the problems don’t end there. Eucalypts are high-demand trees that sap the soils of moisture and nutrients, often out-competing local flora for rights to the land. Furthermore, they are allelopathic, meaning that prevent many plants from sprouting and growing in their space. Eucalypts are often listed as invasive species. In other words, their presence can be hard on local plants, too.

Stands of eucalyptus trees are also prone to wildfires. The oils in the tree are highly flammable, so when they grow in Mediterranean environments like Italy and California, they increase the already troubling fire threats. So, they are sometimes not great for human environments, either.

While these problems might not altogether equate to eucalyptus being a terrible choice for a home garden, they are important considerations on a larger scale. Eucalyptus plantations might not be a great idea, just as palm oil plantations aren’t.

Eucalypts Are Beautiful Things

Of course, we can’t take out human cultivation foibles on the trees and plants being farmed. These plants are only performing how they have evolved to do in their indigenous environments, and the resilience and growth speed of eucalyptus trees is merely a testament to how amazing they are. Plus, they just smell so nice!

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