Re: Req: Koala

llizard <cq5...@freent.toronto.on.ca> wrote:

>I clearly don't know what a eucalytus tree looks like. I have a pathetic
>little pot plant on my balcony that isn't growing maniacally as the
>garden centre indicated that it would. But I do know that the leaves are
>roundish and very fragrant.

Eucalypts generally do not survive long in pots. They do tend to grow
maniacally, eg., 5 metres in 1 year. I wonder if the temperatures are
right where you come from.

Eucalyptus oil is used in some sweets designed to help clear the nose.
The oil may be readily available where you come from, perhaps from
pharmacists. It is great for cleaning woollen jumpers, but *read the
instructions before using for anything* (uness you want to bump
somebody off!). It is available from super markets here (Australia).
If you know the smell of the oil, then you can check out the leaves to
see if they are eucalypt.

Typical mature eucalyptus leaves are about 3" ... 5" long, about 3/4"
wide at the widest point (near the stem) and are similar to an airfoil
in shape. They tend to be asymmetrical down the central vein. They are
often a grey-green in colour. Not all of the 700 species are like
that.

Many have beautiful flowers (red, pink, lemon, or white) which burst
from a small, hard seed case like a nut. Note that eucalypts are the
world's tallest flowering plants. The tallest tree ever recorded was a
Victorian Mountain Ash (I think it is a eucalypt). Unfortunately some
idiot cut it down last century to see how tall it was, and now there
is a steel structure showing how high it was. It was 10 metres higher
than the tallest Redwood ever found.

I'm sorry I haven't drawn a leaf, that is a rather difficult as it is
raining outside and I need a leaf as a template.

Cheers

Ian

(To write to me, remove the anti-spam "xx" from my e-mail address)