Eucalyptus grandis  

Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maid.

Family : Myrtaceae

Common Name : യൂക്കാലി (Mal)

  Flooded Gum (Eng)

IUCN Status : Near Threatened ↓

Forest Red Gum is the most common eucalyptus, widely planted in India. It grows to a height of 20-50 m, and a trunk girth of up to 2 m. The trunk is straight, and is usually unbranched for more than half of the total height of the tree. Thereafter, limbs are unusually steeply inclined for a Eucalyptus species. The bark is shed in irregular sheets, resulting in a smooth trunk surface colored in patches of white, gray and blue, corresponding to areas that shed their bark at different times. It has narrow, lanceshaped green leaves, from 10-20 cm long, and 1-3 cm wide. Flowers occur in inflorescences of 7-11 flowers. Flowers buds are like long cones, longer than most eucalyptus species. The caps fall off to reveal the flowers which are mostly stamens. Fruit is a small woody capsule with protruding teeth.

Trees to 50 m high; bark white, smooth. Leaves simple, alternate, estipulate; seedling leaf opposite for 4 or 5 pairs; petiole to 30 mm long, slender, glabrous; juvenile leaves 10-14 x 5.5-8.5 cm. Mature leaves 10-16 x 2-3 cm, ovate, falcate or lanceolate, base oblique, obtuse, attenuate or subacute, apex acuminate, margin entire, glabrous, coriaceous, gland-dotted; lateral nerves many, pinnate, faint, looped near the margin forming intramarginal nerve, intercostae reticulate. Flowers white, in 7-11 flowered axillary umbels; pedicels to 3.5 mm. Hypanthium obconical, to 5 mm, glaucous, ribbed; operculum hemispherical or beaked, to 4 mm. Stamens many, 2-7 mm, with a distal adaxial gland. Ovary inferior, adnate to the hypanthium, 3-4-celled, ovules many; style simple, stigma capitate. Fruit a capsule, 5-8 x 4-6 mm, sessile or pedicellate, pyriform, 4 or 5 valved, often glaucous; seeds many.

Use: It is used as fuelwood for domestic purposes and for curing tobacco, especially in Uganda, and also for charcoal production. It is an important source of pulp for the production of printing, writing, specialty and tissue papers.

Distribution : Native of Australia

Flowering & Fruiting : September-April