Eucalyptus
camaldulensis is the river red gum, a tree of the Myrtaceae family. It is
native to Australia, where it naturally distributed along many inland water
courses as well as floodplains. Due to
the proximity to watercourse, river red gum is subject to regulate flooding in
its natural habitat.
The generic name ‘Eucalyptus’ is from the Greek words ‘eu’ good or well, and ‘kalyptos’ covered, referring to the calyx which forms a lid over the flowers when in bud. Specific name “camaldulensis” referring to L’Hortus Camaldulensis di Napoli, from where the first specimen was first described by Frederick dehnhardt, in 1832. The Camaldoli garden, which was established in 1816 by Francesco Ricciardi, Count Camaldoli, features collections of Acacia, Agavaceae, Melaleuca, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, and Quercus ilex.
River red gum is tolerant to waterlogging, as well
as drought, salinity, fire and frost.
Globally, E. camaldulensis is
widely planted in arid and semi-arid lands.
E.
camaldulensis can grow up to 45 meters tall. The tree has a large, dense crown. The base of the bole can be covered with
rough, reddish-brown bark. The dull
blue-green coloured leaves contain oil-producing glands in the un-veined areas.
USES
Due to its fast-growing nature, it is cultivated
for the wood. Eucalyptus plantations are
popular with honey producers, as they are safe and sheltered, and very few
agro-chemicals are used.
River red gum wood is hard and dense (≈900kg/m3), but
brittle, thus making hand working difficult.
It is used in rot resistant applications such as fence posts, sleepers,
decks and wooden floors. It is also
popular firewood, the wood makes fine charcoal.
E.
camaldulensis is a natural biological drainage (biodrainage), often used to
reclaim swampy sites. The tree’s root
can penetrate deep into the soil, capable to draw a tremendous amount of water
from the ground, thus removing the water from the swamp.
HAZARDS
River red gum and many other Eucalypts was
nicknamed, “widow maker”, as they tends to drop large branch without
warning. This form of self-pruning may
be a means of saving water or simply a result of its brittle wood.
E. camaldulensis
is known to exhibit allelopathic characteristic. Several volatile and water-soluble toxins
found in Eucalyptus tissues inhibit
other plant species from growing nearby.
Accumulated Eucalyptus litters
inhibit seeds germination, and stunted seedling growth.
Eucalypts
draw a tremendous amount of water from the soil through the process of transpiration.
This may contribute to depletion of
ground water and soil moisture.
Large amount of Eucalpytus litters, combine with the volatile oil produced by the
leaves, lead to fire hazard in Eucalpytus
plantation.
