2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Eucalyptus multicolored (lat. Eucalyptus diversicolor) - an evergreen long-lived tree of the genus "Eucalyptus" (lat. Eucalyptus) from the Myrtaceae family (lat. Myrtaceae). Colored eucalyptus is a landmark in Australia's Beedelup National Park, located in the western part of the mainland. This is not the only advantage of the plant. Multi-colored eucalyptus also has other qualities for which people love and appreciate plants of the genus Eucalyptus.
What's in your name
It is clear that the Latin word "Eucalyptus" belongs to the plant by right of its membership in the list of plants of the genus of the same name.
The specific epithet "diversicolor" ("multi-colored") botanists have assigned to Eucalyptus for the color of its long and narrow leaves, in which the upper side of the leaf plate is dark green, and the underside is much lighter, which, in general, often happens in nature.
In addition to the official Latin name, the tree has a common, widely known, name, the origins of which should be sought in the language of the aborigines of Australia, who called Eucalyptus the word "Karri" ("Curry").
Moreover, the common name of the multicolored eucalyptus - "Karri" ("Curry"), should not be confused with another massive Australian tree with a consonant name - "Kauri" ("Kauri").
Description
Colored eucalyptus is one of the tallest flowering trees on the planet. Its straight single trunk rushes to the heavens to a height of 80 meters. Since the crown prefers to be located closer to the top of the giant, the wooden boards are long and practically knot-free, which is especially appreciated when building roofs. It happens that two closely spaced seedlings grow together, forming a double-stemmed tree.
Young bark is white to cream in color, turning brown with age and shedding cover.
Leaves, up to 12 centimeters long and up to 3 centimeters wide, are dark green above, light green below, which was the reason for the specific name of Eucalyptus.
Inflorescences, formed by the creamy flowers of the characteristic Eucalyptus shape with accrete sepals, appear on the branches in spring and summer. Since curry often grows in poor soils, it has one oddity regarding flowering. Abundant flowering occurs after a forest fire, when tarred Eucalyptus trees continue their life, taking advantage of the nutrients of the burnt forest litter. To paraphrase a well-known saying, we can say: "There would be no blossoming (happiness), but the fire (misfortune) helped."
The vegetation cycle ends with the formation of barrel-shaped squat fruits, inside which are located numerous dry small seeds.
Walk through the tree
In the west of Australia, there is the Beedelup National Park, which, due to the abundance of moisture in this part of the mainland, is characterized by dampness and lush vegetation. The main part of the forest area of the park is made up of curry trees, that is, multi-colored eucalyptus. The park is famous for many attractions, the main of which is a beautiful and powerful waterfall.
The second highlight of the park is the Walk Through the Curry Tree. Namely, “through” the tree, because in the powerful trunk of the Curry tree, whose age is determined to be 400 years, a man-made cut was made, starting almost at the base of the tree. The slot is made in the form of an elongated oval, through which a person of average height can easily pass.
Usage
In addition to being a popular tourist attraction, the Curry tree also feeds the tourism industry, the wood of the Eucalyptus is also used.
By the way, the wood of the tree is also multi-colored. The color of the core of the trunk varies from golden to reddish-brown, sometimes with a purple or orange tint. So, the specific epithet could easily be based on this fact, and not only on the two-color leaves.
Such beautiful wood makes furniture unique and decorative.
