Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Tasmanian Blue Gums

The Tasmanian Blue Gum is Tasmania's state flower. Its scientific name is Eucalyptus glololus Labill. These flowers are larger than those of other Eucalyptus trees, and are present in the axils of the leaves. As Jory had presented, the flower is a lot of white stamens arranged in several rows near the outside. There's a thick nectar-secreting disk that extends near the top of the ovary. This flower blooms in early summer. The Tasmanian Blue Gum is found throughout the state of Tasmania, including the Royal Hobart Botanical Gardens.

Currently, the tallest Eucalyptus in Tasmania is 298ft tall. The Blue Gum can also be used widely for a variety of things, including essential oils that are extracted from the flower and can be used for perfumes or therapeutically. People are use it for tea and bees use it as a good source of nectar for their honey. The history of the flower dates back to 1799 when Jacques de Labillardière, a french botanist, who got it from the south-east coast of Tasmania. It's name comes from the features which it exhibits, glob-like and spherical. 

Sources:
Source 1
Source 2

2 comments:

  1. Carlos! I love to see the post about Eucalyptus. The blue gum is indeed a beautiful "flower"

    And smells great, too!

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  2. I wonder why they chose the Blue Gum over other Eucalyptus flowers. Hopefully, we'll be able to see these beautiful flowers when we're there!

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