Eucalyptus: friend or foe?

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna was treated to an informative briefing presented by renowned botanist and author Dr Hugh Glen, about the benefits or otherwise of the gumtree.

Speaking at Cearn Hall on Leisure Isle on 6 September, at the behest of the bee farmers who are fighting for the survival of the Cape honeybee, Glen made a point of enlightening the audience about the facts surrounding these much-maligned trees, which are widely regarded as invasive, water guzzling pests.

Of the almost thousand species of eucalyptus, almost all of which are Australian, only six are in fact classified as invasive in South Africa.

Six villains
The villains are the red river gum; two types of spider gum; karri; saligna gum and black ironbark. The other 994 species are not invasive.

Their sizes range from human height to a towering 92m. The species exhibit different bark structures, from fibrous or “stringy” bark, to tough ironbark and some, such as the Indonesian rainbow gum, has a peeling bark.

The flowers vary in colour and the height of the tree is not necessarily a deterrent to the average worker bee on a food-collecting mission.

As the eucalyptus has developed plants suitable for every type of environment, it would help in the drought-ridden Western Cape to choose those which are designed for the arid or semidesert environment, such as E. Gomphocephala and E. Cladocalyx.

Glen finished off by pointing out that, not only does the gum provide sustenance for bees, but also provides shade, lines streets, is used for timber (sleepers made from jarrah), provides fibre for papermaking and is used in medicines and cosmetics.

So, the message is: don’t discount the eucalyptus and spare it a thought when you open and enjoy your next jar of bluegum honey.