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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" ^{[1] [2]}

Bushfires

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 brushfire. Once cooled down, it is a freshly fertilized seed bed.
• Oils in the leaves tend to make the fire more severe and therefore more damaging to less attuned species.
• Buds under the bark of the trunk and branches waiting to sprout new leaves.

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 eater of Eucalypt leaves is the Koala, which only eats some varieties, and only sometimes. These toxins in turn make the Koala unpleasant to eat.

External links

• Currency Creek Arboretum - Eucalypt Research at Currency Creek Arboretum

References