X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: f996b,730bb1fc625f7661 X-Google-Attributes: gidf996b,public From: ianl@xxcurie.dialix.com.au (Ian Lowery) Subject: Re: Req: Koala Date: 1997/07/28 Message-ID: <33ebf756.5654292@news.curie.dialix.com.au>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 259583353 References: <33cfa3a4.4353721@news.polyu.edu.hk> <33D3B396.6C4B@freent.toronto.on.ca> Organization: DIALix Internet Services Newsgroups: alt.ascii-art llizard wrote: >I clearly don't know what a eucalytus tree looks like. I have a pathetic >little pot plant on my balcony that isn't growing maniacally as the >garden centre indicated that it would. But I do know that the leaves are >roundish and very fragrant. Eucalypts generally do not survive long in pots. They do tend to grow maniacally, eg., 5 metres in 1 year. I wonder if the temperatures are right where you come from. Eucalyptus oil is used in some sweets designed to help clear the nose. The oil may be readily available where you come from, perhaps from pharmacists. It is great for cleaning woollen jumpers, but *read the instructions before using for anything* (uness you want to bump somebody off!). It is available from super markets here (Australia). If you know the smell of the oil, then you can check out the leaves to see if they are eucalypt. Typical mature eucalyptus leaves are about 3" ... 5" long, about 3/4" wide at the widest point (near the stem) and are similar to an airfoil in shape. They tend to be asymmetrical down the central vein. They are often a grey-green in colour. Not all of the 700 species are like that. Many have beautiful flowers (red, pink, lemon, or white) which burst from a small, hard seed case like a nut. Note that eucalypts are the world's tallest flowering plants. The tallest tree ever recorded was a Victorian Mountain Ash (I think it is a eucalypt). Unfortunately some idiot cut it down last century to see how tall it was, and now there is a steel structure showing how high it was. It was 10 metres higher than the tallest Redwood ever found. I'm sorry I haven't drawn a leaf, that is a rather difficult as it is raining outside and I need a leaf as a template. Cheers Ian (To write to me, remove the anti-spam "xx" from my e-mail address)