Eucalyptus, Blue Gum - Eucalyptus globulus

Eucalyptus, Blue Gum - Eucalyptus globulus - family: Myrtaceae (Myrtle Family).

[Etymology: eucalyptus Modern Latin eucalyptus, Greek eu, well- + kaluptos, covered, kaluptein, to cover, hide, from the covering of the flower buds, blue Middle English blue, bleu, blew, blew(e), Old English blaw, Old French bleu, blo, gum Middle English gomme, gumme, Old French gomme, Late Latin gumma, Latin gummi, cummi, Greek kommi, Egyptian kemai, gmyt].

This evergreen tree may grow to about two hundred feet high. It is native to New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. It has long sickle-shaped aromatic gray-green leaves that hang vertically. Its oval-shaped juvenile leaves are quite bluish in color and are the source of its name, Blue Gum. In the winter and spring it has silver-bluish buds which open to produce clusters of whitish-yellow flowers. The flowers are followed by hard woody capsules which contain small black seeds. The Blue Gum tree is a familiar sight in coastal California. Its seeds were imported about one hundred and forty years ago to be planted to create windbreaks in both urban and rural areas. These trees were also cultivated with an eye to harvesting them as sources of timber in a few years. In Australia Blue Gum trees that had been standing for centuries yielded excellent timber when they were cut down. California tree growers, however, discovered much to their dismay, that young Blue Gum trees, from five to fifteen years old yielded very poor quality timber. So the plantations and groves that had been planted as a future timber supply remained in place as part of the landscape in coastal California. The leaves yield eucalyptus essential oil, which is largely composed of eucalyptol. Eucalyptol is an essential oil that is used in very small quantities as a flavoring in candy, cookies, ice cream soft drinks and other foods. Modern industrial use of very small amounts of this essential oil as a flavoring in foods such as cookies and candy, soft drinks The maximum concentration allowed in processed food by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration is 0.001%. Eucalyptol has the formula C18H18O and is also called cineole. Note: both eucalyptus essential oil and eucalyptol are both highly concentrated and quite toxic and should never be taken internally. Australian aborigines and pioneers have traditionally used leaves for treatment of colds, coughs, diarrhea, fever, headache, rheumatism, sore eyes and wounds. The essential oil, which is distilled from the leaves, is used in modern times in an extremely diluted form as an inhalant for allergies, asthma, bronchitis, colds, coughs, earaches, hay fever, sore throats and lung infections. Modern American folk use of leaf tea as a remedy for diabetes. The German Commission E has approved the use of leaf as an internal remedy for coughs and bronchitis. The German Commission E has approved the use of essential oil as an internal and external remedy for coughs and bronchitis. The German Commission E has approved the use of essential oil as an external remedy for rheumatism. Note: leaves may be toxic if taken internally. Note: do not use Eucalyptus internally if you have gall bladder problems, kidney problems or liver problems. Note: do not use Eucalyptus internally if you are pregnant or nursing. Note: essential oil is quite toxic in its undiluted form: do not take internally. The Blue Gum is a source of Eucalyptus oil (Eucalyptol), which is distilled from the leaves and is used in the manufacture of perfumes and in medicines. Traditional American folk use of aromatic leaves and seed capsules as an insect repellent. Leaves and bark are sources of dyes, the bark yielding a beige color, while the leaves yield a red color. Listed in the United States Pharmacopoeias from 1880 to 1940. Native to Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. Cultivated as an ornamental in warmer parts of western North America, including Arizona, California, Hawai'i and Mexico. Blue gums have been planted from the southern tip of coastal Oregon, in much of the California coastal region and along the west coast of the mainland of Mexico down to Ixtapa and Acapulco in the State of Guerrero. Best cultivated in USDA hardiness zones 8-11 in North America. Sometimes cultivated as a houseplant.

Other names: Other names: Alcanfor, Australian Blue Gum, Australian Gum Tree, Ballook, Blue Gum, Blue Gum Tree, Eucalipto, Eucalyptus, Fever Tree, Gum Tree, Ocalo, Southern Blue Gum, Stringy Bark, Stringy Bark Tree, Tasmanian Blue Eucalyptus, Tasmanian Blue Gum, The Prince of Eucalypts.

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Web page last updated on 13 June 2003.