Eucalypts or Gums, found throughout the country bring cheer and hope to all who come into contact with this great survivor. Reflecting the history of our continent, gums have an important place in aboriginal folklore and rural communities.

Australian Most Recognised Plant

Featured in work, art, songs and play, gums have a fundamental place in the Australian psyche.
Creating a sense of wonder when bushwalking through a forest of giants, trekking above the snowline, or in an arid location dominated by tough gnarled mallees, the gum looms large.

Every part of these trees – leaves, flowers, roots, bark, sap and timber has been utilized by indigenous people. With over 700 distinct species as well as a large range of varieties and hybrids, eucalypts are the most recognised Australian plant.

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Buds and blossoms of eucalypts are often used as cut flowers

Buds of the Curly mallee growing in arid parts of in Australia

Blossoms of the desert flowering Curly mallee eucalypt

Desert gums usually flower in winter or early spring

Grey-blue leaves are common amongst eucalypts

Ironbarks have dark bark and hard timber useful for fence posts

This eucalypt hybrid known as “Moon lagoon” is popular as a cut flower

Leaves of the red flowering gum

Colourful shoot tips of the red flowering gum

One of many ornamental eucalyptus blossoms - Silver Princess

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Eucalyptus Distinctive Fragrance

Gums provide food and habitats for countless animal species while modifying the local climate, all the while permeating the forest air with their distinctive aroma. These truly magic plants yield oils used as medicines, industrial chemicals, fragrances, antiseptics, pesticides and repellents.

Crushing a few leaves quickly releases their distinctive fragrance with subtle overtones depending on the species, season and location. Eucalyptus oil is traditionally associated with blue gum extracts, but other aromas include lemon, peppermint, apple and camphor.

Commercial Values Of Eucalyptus

Oil production is however a minor commercial concern when compared to forest products yielding timber and paper. Forests are logged while plantations have sprung up throughout the country.

Grown like any other crop, eucalypts have become victims of their bountiful nature. Fast growing plantation gums now cover places where forests once provided a habitat for resident fauna.

Provider Turning Into Agent Of Destruction

Eucalypts foster life in the Australian landscape, but their benevolent powers can also quickly turn into an agent of destruction. Gums add to the intensity of bushfires as their magic essential oils, being volatile and flammable, cause trees to literally explode when fires approach. Combined with hot windy weather bushfires are unstoppable leading to loss of life and property.

Able to regenerate after fire, eucalypts once again resume their role as peaceful protectors and providers – and a new cycle of life begins.