Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. There are more than 700 species of Eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia, and a very small number found in adjacent parts of New Guinea and Indonesia. Eucalyptus is one of the tallest trees in the world and it can attain heights up to 100 meters.

Only 15 species occur outside Australia. Species of Eucalyptus are cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics including the Americas, England, Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East, China and the Indian Subcontinent.

Eucalyptus is a tree that grows up to 70-100 m in height, with a straight, grey trunk, smooth-barked, except for the rough basal. The leaves are 9-14 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm broad, with a long acuminate apex and a smooth margin. The flowers are produced in clusters of 9-15; each flower is about 1 cm in diameter with a ring of numerous white stamens. The fruit is a capsule 5-9 mm long and 4-7 mm broad.

Eucalyptus in the wild grows mostly in deep soiled mountainous areas with an altitude of about 1000 m. It requires high amounts of rainfall, approximately 1200 mm per annum or more. They grow very quickly; at more than a meter a year and can reach up to 65 meters over a period of 50 years. It has an average life span of 400 years.

Eucalyptuses have many uses, which have made them economically important. In certain areas they have become viable cash crops. The eucalyptus is also a good source of wood. They have a rapid growth rate, enabling stocks to be replenished at frequent intervals. This a key factor in most industries. 

Due to the superior growth rate of the eucalyptus plant its potential as an alternative for wood based industries and the manufacture of wood based products, is worth exploring. Both land and trees are a valuable natural resource and its best to use wood from trees with a high growth rate for production purposes.

The eucalyptus plant is also the source of the eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus oil is the generic name for distilled oil from the eucalyptus. Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling liquid mixture. 

Eucalyptus oil has a wide variety of uses. The oil is used as a component in pharmaceutical preparations to relieve the symptoms of influenza and colds, in products like cough sweets, lozenges, and inhalants. Eucalyptus oil has antibacterial effects and acts against pathogenic bacteria in the respiratory tract. 

The oils can also be used as an insect repellent and bio-pesticide. Pesticides are widely used in the cultivation of certain crops and it is detrimental to the environment. Bio-pesticides might be a suitable option, which will help reduce the negative impact of pesticides on the environment.

Eucalyptus oils are also used as flavoring agents in baked goods, confectionery, meat products and beverages. In addition to this they are also used as a fragrance in the production of soaps, detergents, lotions and perfumes. 

In the industrial sector it is used to separate metallic sulphides in the mining industry. Research is also currently underway to determine the viability of eucalyptus as a bio fuel.