FLORA OF THE VALLEY : EUCALYPTUS

Eucalyptus trees and shrubs, with their many branches and evergreen, often-aromatic leaves, are the most widely planted non-native trees in California.

Grown for their ornamental qualities and tolerance to the area’s dry climate, eucalyptus are almost as common a sight on California’s highways and streets as the state’s familiar native palms.

Eucalyptus, members of the myrtle family, are favorites of landscape architects because of their attractive form and structure. Some produce such strikingly beautiful flowers and foliage that they are sold by florists. Flowers bloom in a variety of colors--creamy whites, yellows, greens, reds and pinks--beginning in the winter.

More than 500 varieties of eucalyptus have been identified in the tree’s native Australia. About 150 species, many of them hybrids, have been grown in California since the eucalyptus was introduced here in 1856. The most common is the bluegum eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), an extremely tall tree found mostly on coastal slopes.

Garden or city street eucalyptus are smaller, more shrub-like and often hybrids. Pictured here are California hybrid eucalyptus with vivid crimson flowers on Tampa Avenue near Chatsworth Street in Chatsworth.

These many-branched, shrublike trees reach heights of up to 25 feet, have narrow, lance-shaped green leaves up to three inches long and smooth bark that peels, leaving a light gray to mottled trunk. The seed capsules are goblet-shaped and about three-quarters of an inch wide.