Natural Eucalypts spp. in PNG Eucalyptus is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs, or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard, or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut". Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape, and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire. A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent. Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. Srivastava12 described the natural distribution of Eucalyptus spp in PNG sourced from Carr 1972 & N Howcroft 1991. Species Distribution 1. E. deglupta Blume (incertae sedis) New Guinea, Papua, West Irian, New Britain, Ceram, Celebes, Mindanao. May have been present in New Ireland 2. E. alba Reinw. ex Blume (series Timor, Flores, Alor, Wetar, east Papua, Horn Island, Subexsertae) also northern Australia 3. E. tereticornis Sam. (series East and west Papua, West Irian. Also, eastern Exertae) Australia, south to Victoria 4. E. papuana F. Muell East and West Papua. Also, northern, and central Australia 5. E. confertiflora F. Muell. (series East and west Papua and West Irian. Also, northern Clavigerae (Maiden) S.T. Blake) Australia 6. E. polycarpa F. Muell. (series West Papua, Australia Corymbosae (Benth.) Maiden) * 7. E. brassiana SW PNG, also Cape York, Queensland, Australia * 8. E. leptophleba Western Province, PNG (?), Cape York, Australia * 9. E. pellita Western Province, PNG, NSW, Queensland, Australia *10. E. tessellaris Southern coast of PNG (?), Cape York, NSW, Australia
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Proceedings Regional Expert Consultation of Eucalyptus 4-8 Oct 1993 Vol 1 -3, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP), P B L Srivastava PNGFRI Lae, presented the PNG country statement re Eucalypt in Papua New Guinea.
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