AY Honors/Eucalypts/Answer Key
1. How many different species of Eucalypts have been named in Australia?
There are three genera of eucalypts identified by scientists:
- Eucalyptus which includes more than seven hundred species,
- Corymbia which includes 113 species, and
- Angophora which includes 10 species.
So the total number of eucalypts is greater than 723.
2a. Where does the name Eucalypt come from?
2b. To what family do Eucalypts belong?
The name eucalypt comes from the Greek, ευκάλυπτος meaning "Well covered."
The eucalypts belong to the Myrtaceae or Myrtle family. Other members of the myrtle family include myrtle, clove, guava, feijoa, and allspice.
3a. In what other parts of the world do Eucalypts grow?
3b. In how many are they indigenous to that country?
Eucalyptus are mostly native to Australia, with a very small number native to three other countries; New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Philippines islands.
Many Eucalyptus have been planted in various parts of the world including the dry regions of Southern California and in Africa, Spain, South America, and on forestry plantations in India and China.
4a. Which country has the tallest Hardwood?
4b. Where is it growing?
4c. How tall is it?
4d. Which country has the tallest flowering trees?
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria. It is known to attain heights over 295 feet (90 metres) and is described as the tallest of the flowering plants.
