eucalyptus

genus Eucalyptus

Member of gum trees (tribe Eucalypteae)
myrtle family (family Myrtaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)

Except for old historical records and extremely rare examples that I don't expect to encounter, there are no other wild species of this genus in the bay area.

Key features:

bark smooth, shedding, and light colored; or deeply furrowed and dark colored
leaf shape
inflorescence shape
number of flowers per umbel
flowers/fruit fused at base or free
hypanthium shape

All eucalypts may host red gum lerp psyllid (Glycaspis brimblecombei).

tasmanian blue gum
Eucalyptus globulus

individual flowers in leaf axils, sessile

[the leaf may be not present]

fruit glaucous, > 1.5 cm wide

all others have fruit not glaucous, < 1 cm wide

very common

silver dollar gum
Eucalyptus polyanthemos

inflorescence a panicle of umbels
rare

umbel inflorescence

red ironbark
Eucalyptus sideroxylon

bark deeply furrowed, dark brown to ± black

all below plants have smooth, shedding bark (sometimes rough near base), lighter colored

inflorescence a 5–7-flowered umbel
rare

spider gum
Eucalyptus conferruminata

bark smooth, shed in strips, light gray or tan
7–19 flowers/fruit in a stalked umbel, fused at base into cluster 3–6 cm wide
super rare

manna gum
Eucalyptus viminalis

inflorescence a 3-flowered umbel
uncommon

white peppermint
Eucalyptus pulchella

leaves linear, generally < 0.5 cm wide
inflorescence a 9–15-flowered umbel
fruit valves not exserted
very rare

river redgum
Eucalyptus camaldulensis

leaves lanceolate, generally > 1 cm wide
inflorescence a 7–11-flowered umbel
fruit valves exserted
bud cap hemispheric, beaked, ± = hypanthium (figure of bud with cap)
rare

forest red gum
Eucalyptus tereticornis

leaves lanceolate, generally > 1 cm wide
inflorescence a 7–11-flowered umbel
fruit valves exserted
bud cap horn-shaped to conic, not beaked, ± 2 × hypanthium
very rare

4 observed taxons / 4 unobserved taxons / 1 key

Chris’s observations: 20 (9 are research grade)

Locations:

Santa Teresa CP: 6
Ed R. Levin CP: 3
Waterdog Lake & Open Space: 2
Alum Rock Park, San Jose
Coyote Hills RP
La Honda Creek OSP
Lake Chabot RP
Los Altos Hills, CA
Murray Ranch SP
San Pedro Valley CP
Sibley Volcanic RP
Sierra Azul OSP

Months:

Feb.: 5
Mar.: 3
Apr.: 3
May: 1
Jun.: 0
Jul.: 2
Aug.: 1
Sep.: 0
Oct.: 1
Nov.: 0
Dec.: 4

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Taxon info: iNaturalist – Calflora – Jepson eFlora – FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora