There are over 700 types of Eucalyptus in the world. The Australian ones are divided into 11-12 general types. It has fascinated me since coming to Australia that almost every time I asked what a tree was, I heard the same thing, a gum tree, their common name.
The common name stems from the gummy sap they ooze when damaged, and there are other similarities, but the bark can be quite different. Another variety, called 'stringybark,' has thick fibrous bark that can be ripped off by hand.
I call the smooth barked varieties, 'funny, naked trees.' In parks and arboretums, I read the names 'ghost gums' and 'spotted gums.' They lose their smooth bark as they grow. It simply splits, peels off, and forms these rolls, above. Some make much longer rolls.
All the fallen bark is a fire hazard. When the cold and wet weather arrived, there were warnings of 'fuel burnoff season' on the television, the time of year when it's safe to burn the bark off the forest floor.
A neighbour's tree fell and I was able to take photos of the leaves which are often very high up. These trees can reach heights of 80 m (approx 262 feet). On warm days, the long narrow leaves of the eucalyptus release a highly flammable gas.
Campers are advised not to set up tents under eucalyptus as some drop limbs with little warning. Here, the neighbour's tree showing some of the red sap in the photo above. They are heavy hardwood trees with many uses.
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Photos by @kansuze usng a Canon SX620 HS in Lenah Valley (Hobart), Tasmania, Australia
Enjoy!
@kansuze
Never knew there were that many types, I will have to look a bit closer when I encounter them again. The one which is quite common here in South Africa is the one, where you can strip the bark off quite easily!!
I think I have seen 2 types like that here. One of them is also called Australian oak for its wood.