Myrtaceae (myrtle family) Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus diversicolor karri

Western Australia
Eucalyptus diversicolor at 645 Cabrillo Avenue. Sairus Patel, 7 Apr 2018
Eucalyptus diversicolor fruits in umbels of 7. Sairus Patel, 7 Apr 2018

Karri is the biggest tree of Western Australia, commonly reaching 200 feet and known to have reached 250 feet. It belongs, with E. delegatensis, E. regnans, and Sequoia sempervirens, to the select group of Earth’s tallest trees. Girths around 27 feet are in the same class as the larger Tasmanian blue gums. The reddish-brown wood is hard, dense, and very strong (with a tensile strength of 8 tons per square inch). At one time the main streets of Sydney were paved with karri blocks, long since covered with asphalt, but visible occasionally where roadwork is in progress. The wear-resistant endgrain was presented to traffic. The wood was also exported to London for the same purpose.

The sole tree seen on campus, at 645 Cabrillo Avenue, near Santa Ynez Street, was planted by Professor W.F. Durand in 1910. It is now 4 feet in diameter. It may be the one referred to in a nursery list of May 1916 under accession number 157.

Eucalyptus diversicolor fruits, leaf. From An Illustrated Manual of Pacific Coast Trees, Howard E. McMinn & Evelyn Maino

· Cal Poly Biology Professor Matt Ritter and Students Discover Record Tree in Poly Canyon.

Related material: Eucalyptus checklist.

About this Entry: The main text of this entry is from the book Trees of Stanford and Environs, by Ronald Bracewell, published 2005.