eucalyptus

eucalyptus

, eucalypt

any myrtaceous tree of the mostly Australian genus Eucalyptus, such as the blue gum and ironbark, widely cultivated for the medicinal oil in their leaves (eucalyptus oil), timber, and ornament

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

eucalyptus

eucalyptus

Eucalyptus tress are some of the tallest in the world. They don’t like cold. The bark is usually peeling off in loose stringy or papery strips. Young leaves are often blue-grey on square stems. Mature leaves are shiny, very thin green ovals on round stems. Creamy white flowers, sometimes pink. Leaves can be made into tea or steam distilled to extract oil, which is a powerful antiseptic used to treat gum disease, burns, insect repellant. The essential oil, breathed in a steam, will help clear the nasal passages, as will the steam from boiling the leaves. A small drop on the tongue eases nausea. Oil-soaked cloths placed in cabinets and closets keeps roaches and insects away. Originally from Australia, this fast-growing invasive tree is taking over southern California.

Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz

Eucalyptus

[‚yü·kə′lip·təs]

(botany)

A large genus of evergreen trees belonging to the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) and occurring in Australia and New Guinea.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

eucalyptus

Wood of the eucalyptus tree, native to Australia and Tasmania, but many species now are grown elsewhere in the world; the physical characteristics and properties vary considerably with the species. Also see gumwood.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Eucalyptus

 

a genus of plants of the family Myrtaceae. The genus consists mainly of evergreen trees frequently reaching a height of 100 m; there are some shrubs. The arrangement and shape of the leaves vary according to the age of the plant. The leaves are always entire, and they are usually fragrant owing to the presence of essential oil. The flowers are regular and bisexual. There are numerous stamens, and the ovary is inferior. The fruit is a capsule consisting of a truncated woody calyx tube to which the ovary is fused.

There are more than 525 species of eucalyptus; they are commonly found in Australia and Tasmania, as well as on neighboring islands. The USSR has more than 30 cultivated species, growing mainly on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Almost all subtropical and tropical countries cultivate eucalypts, since the plants yield valuable wood and grow rapidly. Also of economic value are the leaves, which yield essential oil, and the bark, which yields tannins. Eucalyptus oil and eucalyptus teas or tinctures are used medicinally as antiseptic and anti-inflammatory rinses and inhaiants to treat infections of the upper respiratory tract; the medicines are also used to treat wounds and some gynecological disorders. A eucalyptus tincture may also be prescribed to treat inflammation of the mouth and, sometimes, as a sedative.

REFERENCES

Pilipenko, F. S. “Evkalipt—Eucalyptus L’Herit.” In Derev’ia i kustarniki SSSR, vol. 5. Moscow-Leningrad, 1960.
Maiden, J. H. A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus, vols. 1–8, parts 1–75. Sydney, 1903–33.
Blakely, W. F. A Key to the Eucalypts, 3rd ed. Canberra, 1965.
Pryor, L. D., and L. A. S. Johnson. A Classification of the Eucalypts. Canberra, 1971.
Johnson, L. A. S. “Presidential Address: Evolution and Classification in Eucalyptus.” Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 1972, vol. 97, part 1, no. 429.

M. E. KIRPICHNIKOV

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.