- Stringybark - consists of long-fibres and can be pulled off in long pieces. It is usually thick with a spongy texture
- Ironbark - is hard, rough and deeply furrowed. It is impregnated with dried kino (a sap exuded by the tree) which gives a dark red or even black colour
- Tessellated - bark is broken up into many distinct flakes. They are corkish and can flake off
- Box - has short fibres. Some also show tessellation
- Ribbon - this has the bark coming off in long thin pieces but still loosely attached in some places. They can be long ribbons, firmer strips or twisted curls
Some vital stats about - EUCALYPTUS:
- Eucalyptus are a diverse genus of trees dominate the tree flora of Australia
- More than seven hundred species of Eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia
- A very small number found in parts of New Guinea and Indonesia and one as far north as the Philippines islands
- Eucalyptus' are cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics including the Americas, England, Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, China and the Indian Subcontinent
A gardener I know who visits Australia every couple of years told me he noticed that vast areas of eucalyptus forests were severely damaged by bush fires annually. The following Wikipedia extract explains the phenomenon in detail:
'On warm days vapourised eucalyptus oil rises above the bush to create the characteristic distant blue haze of the Australian landscape. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (trees have been known to explode[5][6]) and bush fires can travel easily through the oil-rich air of the tree crowns. The dead bark and fallen branches are also flammable. Eucalypts are well adapted for periodic fires via lignotubers and epicormic buds under the bark.
Eucalypts regenerate quickly after fire. After the Canberra bushfires of 2003, hectares of imported species were killed, but in a matter of weeks the gum trees were putting out suckers and looking generally healthy.[citation needed]
The two valuable timber trees, Alpine Ash E. delegatensis and Mountain Ash E. regnans, are killed by fire and only regenerate from seed. The same 2003 bushfire that had little impact on forests around Canberra resulted in thousands of hectares of dead ash forests. However, a small amount of ash survived and put out new suckers as well. There has been some debate as to whether to leave the stands, or attempt to harvest the mostly undamaged timber, which is increasingly recognised as a damaging practice.' cf: Wikipedia
Apparently eucalyptus will regrow quite quickly after fire damage as their plant cells have adapted to overcome such events. Feast your eyes on these amazingly clear photos of eucalyptus trees growing in their sunny Australian habitat. Just look at those clear blue skies! If only we had that beautiful weather here in Ireland.
