Eucalyptus globulus

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Blue gum
Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii.jpg
Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. globulus
Binomial name
Eucalyptus globulus
Synonyms [1]
Flower buds of subsp. bicostata Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata buds.jpg
Flower buds of subsp. bicostata
Fruit of subsp. bicostata Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata fruit.jpg
Fruit of subsp. bicostata

Eucalyptus globulus, commonly known as southern blue gum [2] or blue gum, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is a tall, evergreen tree endemic to southeastern Australia. This Eucalyptus species has mostly smooth bark, juvenile leaves that are whitish and waxy on the lower surface, glossy green, lance-shaped adult leaves, glaucous, ribbed flower buds arranged singly or in groups of three or seven in leaf axils, white flowers and woody fruit.

Contents

There are four subspecies, each with a different distribution across Australia, occurring in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The subspecies are the Victorian blue gum, Tasmanian blue gum, Maiden's gum, and Victorian eurabbie.

Description

Eucalyptus globulus is a tree that typically grows to a height of 45 m (148 ft) but may sometimes only be a stunted shrub, or alternatively under ideal conditions can grow as tall as 90–100 m (300–330 ft), and forms a lignotuber. The bark is usually smooth, white to cream-coloured but there are sometimes slabs of persistent, unshed bark at the base. Young plants, often several metres tall, and coppice regrowth have stems that are more or less square in cross-section with a prominent wing on each corner. Juvenile leaves are mostly arranged in opposite pairs, sessile, glaucous elliptic to egg-shaped, up to 150 mm (5.9 in) long and 105 mm (4.1 in) wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, the same glossy to dark green on both sides, lance-shaped or curved, 150–300 mm (5.9–11.8 in) long and 17–30 mm (0.67–1.18 in) wide on a petiole 1.5–6 mm (0.059–0.236 in) long. The flower buds are arranged singly or in groups of three or seven in leaf axils, sometimes sessile or on a short thick peduncle. The individual buds are also usually sessile, sometimes on a pedicel up to 5 mm (0.20 in) long. Mature buds are top-shaped to conical, glaucous or green, with a flattened hemispherical, warty operculum with a central knob. Flowering time varies with subspecies and distribution but the flowers are always white. The fruit is a woody conical or hemispherical capsule with the valves close to rim level. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Taxonomy and naming

Eucalyptus globulus was first formally described in 1800 by the French botanist Jacques Labillardière in his book, Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse . [9] [10] [11] Labillardière collected specimens at Recherche Bay during the d'Entrecasteaux expedition in 1792. [12]

The d'Entrecasteaux expedition made immediate use of the species when they discovered it, the timber being used to improve their oared boats. [12] The Tasmanian blue gum was proclaimed as the floral emblem of Tasmania on 27 November 1962. The species name is from the Latin globulus, a little ball or small sphere, [13] referring to the shape of the fruit. [3]

In 1974, James Barrie Kirkpatrick described four subspecies and the names have been accepted by the Australian Plant Census. [14] Each subspecies has a characteristic arrangement of its flower buds: [15]

Distribution and habitat

Blue gum grows in forests in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, including some of the Bass Strait Islands. Subspecies bicostata occurs in montane and tableland areas between the Carrai Plateau in northern New South Wales and the Pyrenees in Victoria. Subspecies globulus is mainly found in lowland parts of Tasmania, but is also found on some Bass Strait islands including King Island, and in the extreme south-west of Victoria. Subspecies maidenii occurs on near-coastal ranges of south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria. Subspecies pseudoglobulus is mostly distributed in eastern Gippsland but there are isolated populations further inland and in the Nadgee Nature Reserve in south-eastern New South Wales. [3]

There are naturalised non-native occurrences in Spain and Portugal, and other parts of southern Europe incl. Cyprus, southern Africa, New Zealand, western United States (California), Hawaii, Macaronesia, [20]

Unusual specimens

They typically grow from 30–55 m (98–180 ft) tall. There are historical claims of even taller trees with Robert Edwards Carter Stearns claiming that when he was alive, they were capable of growing to 400 feet. [21] While this claim is often regarded as being exaggerated, the environmentalist Jared Diamond argues in favor of this claim, stating that such trees were likely cut down during the colonization of Australia by the English. [22] Tasmanian D. W. Lewin claimed that the tallest was 101 m (331 ft). [23]

Plantations

Large blue gum eucalyptus in Pleasanton, California - 46.5 m (153 ft) in height and 10.5 m (34 ft) in circumference. Large Eucalyptus Globulus.JPG
Large blue gum eucalyptus in Pleasanton, California – 46.5 m (153 ft) in height and 10.5 m (34 ft) in circumference.

Blue gum is one of the most extensively planted eucalypts. Its rapid growth and adaptability to a range of conditions is responsible for its popularity. It is especially well-suited to countries with a Mediterranean-type climate, but also grows well in high altitudes in the tropics. [24]

It comprises 65% of all plantation hardwood in Australia with approximately 4,500 km2 (1,100,000 acres) planted. [25]

In about 1860 Francis Cook planted the tree on Monserrate Palace, his property at Sintra in Portugal and within twenty years it had attained the height of 100 m and a circumference of 5 m.[ citation needed ][ dubious – discuss ]By 1878 the tree ″had spread from one end of Portugal to the other″. In 1878 the tree was also planted, partly on Cook's recommendation, in Galway, Ireland to reclaim ″useless bog land″. [26]

E. globulus begun to be planted as plantations in Los Lagos and Los Ríos regions of Chile in the 1990s. [27] However at these latitudes around the 40th parallel south the tree is at the southern border of the climatic conditions where it can grow, hence good growth in this part of southern Chile requires good site selection such as sunny north-facing slopes. [27] Some of these plantations grow on red clay soil. [27]

Uses

Timber

Blue gum timber is yellow-brown, fairly heavy, with an interlocked grain, and is difficult to season. [28] It has poor lumber qualities due to growth stress problems, but can be used in construction, fence posts and poles. [29]

Pulpwood

Essential oil

The leaves are steam distilled to extract eucalyptus oil. E. globulus is the primary source of global eucalyptus oil production, with China being the largest commercial producer. [30] [31] The oil has therapeutic, perfumery, flavoring, antimicrobial and biopesticide properties. [32] [33] [34] Oil yield ranges from 1.0 to 2.4% (fresh weight), with cineole being the major isolate. E. globulus oil has established itself internationally because it is virtually phellandrene free, a necessary characteristic for internal pharmaceutical use. [35] In 1870, Cloez identified and ascribed the name "eucalyptol" — now more often called cineole — to the dominant portion of E. globulus oil. [36]

Herb tea

Tasmanian blue gum leaves are used as a herbal tea. [37]

Phenolics

E. globulus bark contains quinic, dihydroxyphenylacetic and caffeic acids, bis(hexahydroxydiphenoyl (HHDP))-glucose, galloyl-bis(HHDP)-glucose, galloyl-HHDP-glucose, isorhamentin-hexoside, quercetin-hexoside, methylellagic acid (EA)-pentose conjugate, myricetin-rhamnoside, isorhamnetin-rhamnoside, mearnsetin, phloridzin, mearnsetin-hexoside, luteolin and a proanthocyanidin B-type dimer, digalloylglucose and catechin. [38] The hydrolyzable tannins tellimagrandin I, eucalbanin C, 2-O-digalloyl-1,3,4-tri-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, 6-O-digalloyl-1,2,3-tri-O-galloyl-β-D-glucose, as well as gallic acid and (+)-catechin can also be isolated. [39] Tricetin is a rare flavone aglycone found in the pollen of members of the Myrtaceae, subfamily Leptospermoideae, such as E. globulus. [40]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Eucalyptus viminalis, commonly known as the manna gum, white gum or ribbon gum, is a species of small to very tall tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark near the base, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, white flowers and cup-shaped or hemispherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus dalrympleana</i> Species of plant

Eucalyptus dalrympleana, commonly known as mountain gum, mountain white gum, white gum and broad-leaved ribbon gum, is a species of tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, white flowers and cup-shaped, bell-shaped or hemispherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus gunnii</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae

Eucalyptus gunnii, commonly known as cider gum, is a species of large tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to the island of Tasmania, Australia. It has mostly smooth bark, lance-shaped to egg-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped fruit.

<i>Angophora costata</i> Species of tree

Angophora costata, commonly known as Sydney red gum, rusty gum or smooth-barked apple, is a species of tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. Reaching 30 m (100 ft) in height, the species has distinctive smooth bark that is pinkish or orange-brown when new and fades to grey with age. Its lance-shaped leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the stems, with white or creamy white flowers appearing from October to December. The flower buds are usually arranged in groups of three, followed by ribbed, oval or bell-shaped fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus rudis</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus rudis, commonly known as flooded gum or moitch, is a species of small to medium-sized tree endemic to coastal areas near Perth, Western Australia. The Noongar names for the tree are colaille, gooloorto, koolert and moitch. This tree has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and large branches, smooth greyish bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and eleven, white flowers and bell-shaped, cup-shaped or hemispherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus radiata</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus radiata, commonly known as the narrow-leaved peppermint or Forth River peppermint, is a species of tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous to flaky bark on the trunk and larger branches, smooth grey bark on the thinner branches, lance-shaped to curved or almost linear leaves, flower buds in groups of eleven to twenty or more, white flowers and cup-shaped, hemispherical or shortened spherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus leucoxylon</i> Species of plant

Eucalyptus leucoxylon, commonly known as yellow gum, blue gum or white ironbark, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It has smooth yellowish bark with some rough bark near the base, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three and cylindrical, barrel-shaped or shortened spherical fruit. A widely cultivated species, it has white, red or pink flowers.

<i>Eucalyptus cordata</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus cordata, commonly known as the heart-leaved silver gum is a shrub to medium-sized tree that is endemic to Tasmania. It has smooth bark throughout, mostly only juvenile, more or less heart-shaped, glaucous leaves, glaucous flower buds arranged in groups of three, white flowers and cylindrical or hemispherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus rubida</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus rubida, commonly known as candlebark, ribbon gum or white gum, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark at the base, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and cup-shaped, hemispherical or bell-shaped fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus tereticornis</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus tereticornis, commonly known as forest red gum, blue gum or red irongum, is a species of tree that is native to eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, nine or eleven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus globulus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> bicostata</i> Subspecies of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata, commonly known as the southern blue gum, eurabbie, blue gum or Victorian blue gum, is a subspecies of tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has mostly smooth bark with some persistent slabs of old bark at the base, juvenile leaves with one glaucous side, glossy, lance-shaped adult leaves, warty flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and hemispherical to conical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus globulus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> maidenii</i> Subspecies of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii, commonly known as Maiden's gum, is a subspecies of tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has mostly smooth bark with some persistent slabs of old bark at the base, juvenile leaves with one glaucous side, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds arranged in groups of seven, white flowers and conical, pedicellate, sometimes glaucous fruit that is more or less square in cross-section

<i>Eucalyptus globulus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> pseudoglobulus</i> Subspecies of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus subsp. pseudoglobulus, commonly known as Victorian eurabbie, is one of the four subspecies of Eucalyptus globulus and is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has mostly smooth bark with some persistent slabs of old bark at the base, juvenile leaves with one glaucous side, glossy, lance-shaped adult leaves, pedicellate flower buds in groups of three, white flowers and conical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus nitens</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus nitens, commonly known as shining gum or silvertop, is a species of tall tree native to Victoria and eastern New South Wales. It has smooth greyish bark, sometimes with thin, rough bark near the base, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers and cup-shaped, barrel-shaped or cylindrical fruit. It grows in wet forests and rainforest margins on fertile soils in cool, high-rainfall areas.

<i>Eucalyptus amplifolia</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus amplifolia, commonly known as the cabbage gum, is a tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth bark on its trunk and branches, lance-shaped leaves, and buds in groups of between seven and fifteen or more. The flowers are white and the fruit are woody hemispherical capsules. It is common on the coastal areas and tablelands of New South Wales and adjacent areas in south eastern Queensland, occurring as far south as Bega.

Blue gum is a common name for subspecies or the species in Eucalyptus globulus complex, and also a number of other species of Eucalyptus in Australia. In Queensland, it usually refers to Eucalyptus tereticornis, which is known elsewhere as forest red gum.

<i>Eucalyptus sargentii</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus sargentii, commonly known as Salt River gum, is a species of mallet, mallee or small tree that is endemic to Western Australia. It has rough bark on part or all of the trunk, smooth bark above, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, whitish to creamy yellow flowers and conical fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus striaticalyx</i> Species of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus striaticalyx, commonly known as Cue York gum or kopi gum, is a species of tree or mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has thick, rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and larger branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and thirteen, creamy white flowers and conical to cup-shaped fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus petiolaris</i> Species of plant

Eucalyptus petiolaris, commonly known as Eyre Peninsula blue gum, water gum or blue gum, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to South Australia. It is also naturalised in Western Australia. It has rough, flaky bark on the trunk, smooth greyish bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three, cream-coloured, yellow, pink or red flowers and cup-shaped or barrel-shaped fruit.

<i>Eucalyptus globulus <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> globulus</i> Subspecies of eucalyptus

Eucalyptus globulus subsp. globulus, commonly known as the Tasmanian blue gum, southern blue gum, or blue gum, is a subspecies of tree that is endemic to southeastern Australia. It has mostly smooth bark with some persistent slabs of old bark at the base, juvenile leaves with one glaucous side, glossy, lance-shaped adult leaves, warty flower buds arranged singly in leaf axils, white flowers and hemispherical to conical fruit that is more or less square in cross-section.

References

  1. 1 2 "Eucalyptus globulus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 Brooker, M. Ian H. "Eucalyptus globulus". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. globulus". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversdity Research. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. pseudoglobulus". Euclid: Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Chippendale, George M. "Eucalyptus globulus". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus". Kew: Plants of the World online. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus". APNI. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  10. ↑ La Billardière, Jacques-Julien Houtou de (1800). Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse. Paris: chez H. J. Jansen. p. 13. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  11. ↑ La Billardière, Jacques-Julien Houtou de (1800). Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse. Paris: chez H. J. Jansen. p. 153. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  12. 1 2 Mulvaney, John (c. 2006). "4. Botanising". 'The axe had never sounded': place, people and heritage of Recherche Bay, Tasmania (Online ed.). Australian National University. ISBN   978-1-921313-21-9 . Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  13. ↑ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 119.
  14. ↑ Kirkpatrick, James Barrie (September 1974). "The numerical intraspecific taxonomy of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. (Myrtaceae)". The Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 69 (2): 89–104. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1974.tb01618.x.
  15. ↑ Brooker, M. Ian H.; Slee, Andrew V. "Key to the subspecies of Eucalyptus globulus". Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  16. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  17. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. bicostata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus subsp. maidenii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  20. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  21. ↑ "Blunder from Down Under".
  22. ↑ Jared Diamond, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed pg 382.
  23. ↑ Lewin, D. W. (1906). "The Eucalypti Hardwood Timbers of Tasmania". Tasmania, Gray.
  24. ↑ Hillis, W.E., Brown, A.G., Eucalypts for Wood Production, Academic Press, 1984, p20, ISBN   0-12-348762-5
  25. ↑ Australia's Plantations 2006 (PDF). Bureau of Rural Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
  26. ↑ "The Eucalyptus for the West of England". The Cornishman. No. 16. 31 October 1878. p. 5.
  27. 1 2 3 Geldres, Edith; Schlatter, Juan E. (2004). "Crecimiento de las plantaciones de Eucalyptus globulussobre suelos rojo arcillosos de la provinciad Osorno, Décima Región" [Growth of Eucalyptus globulus plantations on red clay soils in the Province of Osorno, 10th Region, Chile](PDF). Bosque (in Spanish). 25 (1): 95–101. doi: 10.4067/S0717-92002004000100008 . Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  28. ↑ Cribb, A.B. & J.W., Useful Wild Plants in Australia, Collins 1982, p25 ISBN   0-00-636397-0
  29. ↑ "Index of Species Information, Eucalyptus globulus". Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  30. ↑ Edited by Boland, D.J., Brophy, J.J., and A.P.N. House, Eucalyptus Leaf Oils - Use, Chemistry, Distillation and Marketing, Inkata Press, 1991, p4.
  31. ↑ "Eucalyptus Oil, FAO Corporate Document Repository". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
  32. ↑ Eucalyptus globulus Monograph, Australian Naturopathic Network
  33. ↑ "Eucalyptus globulus". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  34. ↑ Young-Cheol Yang, Han-Young Choi, Won-Sil Choi, J. M. Clark, and Young-Joon Ahn, Ovicidal and Adulticidal Activity of Eucalyptus globulus Leaf Oil Terpenoids against Pediculus humanus capitis (Anoplura: Pediculidae), J. Agric. Food Chem., 52 (9), 2507 -2511, 2004.
  35. ↑ Edited by Boland, D.J., Brophy, J.J., and A.P.N. House, Eucalyptus Leaf Oils - Use, Chemistry, Distillation and Marketing, Inkata Press, 1991, p3., & pp78-82.
  36. ↑ Boland, D.J., Brophy, J.J., and A.P.N. House, Eucalyptus Leaf Oils, 1991, p6 ISBN   0-909605-69-6
  37. ↑ Eucalyptus Globulus Labill Leaf Pieces Tea
  38. ↑ Santos, SA; Freire, CS; Domingues, MR; Silvestre, AJ; Pascoal Neto, C (2011). "Characterization of phenolic components in polar extracts of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Bark by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 59 (17): 9386–93. doi:10.1021/jf201801q. PMID   21761864.
  39. ↑ Hou, Ai-Jun; Liu, Yan-Ze; Yang, Hui; Lin, Zhong-Wen; Sun, Han-Dong (2000). "Hydrolyzable Tannins and Related Polyphenols fromEucalyptus globulus". Journal of Asian Natural Products Research. 2 (3): 205–12. doi:10.1080/10286020008039912. PMID   11256694. S2CID   7759379.
  40. ↑ The Unique Occurrence of the Flavone Aglycone Tricetin in Myrtaceae Pollen. Maria G. Campos, Rosemary F. Webby and Kenneth R. Markham, Z. Naturforsch, 2002, 57c, pages 944-946 (article)
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