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Eucalyptus sp.
These trees can grow hundreds of feet tall. They also smell pretty great when the weather's warm due to the release of volatile oils.
Eucalyptus are native to Australia; a very small number are found in adjacent areas of New Guinea and Indonesia. One species, Eucalyptus deglupta, ranges as far north as the Philippines.
Didgeridoos are made of eucalyptus wood. This spotting is possibly Eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian blue gum).
Spotted on Dec 12, 2018
Submitted on Apr 11, 2019
6 Comments
Two of our kids went on trips through their biology classes in Quito. I've looked into it and just can't justify the cost. I'd really like to go, but the $$ just aren't there.
Please do share them! Yes, I’ve read about the farmers’ plight due to the thirsty eucalyptus trees... On another note, have you ever flown to the Galapagos from Quito?
The last time I was in Quito (capital city) I walked through a park that had some old Eucalyptus trees. Some of them were well over a meter across. I did get some fotos of them I will try to post soon. I was reading that they drink up so much water (each tree sucking about 5-10 gallons (20 to 40 liters) of water out of the ground every day) farmers are up in arms against the Eucalyptus growers as their crops are now short on water. Thanks Mauna.
@Tukup: I didn’t know that there are a lot of eucalyptus trees in Ecuador. I hope you get some nice pictures the next time you see them!
@Neil: It’s interesting to know that these could be trees on the younger side (at least, as far as eucalyptus goes). Thanks for telling me about Sydney blue gums as well. Apparently, they’ve been introduced to Hawaii too, along with nine or ten other eucalyptus species. Some have curious names (Kinogum? Blackbutt?)!
Thank you both for your comments!
Lovely spotting, muana. They definitely look like blue gums to me, but not old specimens. They can reach 80-100 feet tall in their first 20 years or so, but there's not much girth in those trunks. They were introduced into California in the mid-1850s, and Hawaii around the same time, I guess. I'm not overly familiar with this exact species, but Sydney blue gums (E. saligna )can grow into massive trees, both in height and girth.
Lots of eucalyptus in Ecuador. Most harvested wood to sell for fireplaces in Quito and cold cities. Nice shot. I'm always on a bus going though their areas and have yet to get good picture of them :-( Thanks.