I love my trees, and I’m always looking for something unusual or different from forests around the world.
Imagine my delight to discover a tree that grows in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It is cleverly called the rainbow tree. Actually, rainbow eucalyptus orEucalyptus deglupta，更准确地说。它也被称为棉兰老口香糖或彩虹口香糖。为什么叫彩虹?嗯，它的树干上自然地“涂”上了彩虹中所有颜色的条纹(因为没有更好的词)。
Surprisingly, this multicolored tree trunk is used as pulp in the production of white paper (not rainbow-colored paper, but white).
Rainbow Tree Appearance
When I first saw images ofrainbow trees, I believed them to be works of art, deliberately splashed with paints of different colors. Then I discovered these trees were naturally color streaked. The rainbow eucalyptus is a fast-growing tree that reaches heights up to 250 feet with a thick trunk that can be more than 90 inches in diameter. Its smooth bark is orange-tinted and it sheds in strips to reveal the colorful streaks of red, orange, pale green, gray, and a mixed, purple-brown shade.
It’s not just the rainbow-colored bark that makes this tree’s appearance so quaint. There are other unique attributes. The branches are almost square when looked at in a cross section, and they sometimes have what look like wings in the corners. The leaves grow in opposite pairs with each leaf being about 3 to 6 inches long and 2 to 3 inches wide. The flower buds appear on leaf axils or at the end of the branches. A group of flower buds usually has about seven. They’re spherical and about a quarter of an inch in length. The buds are cream colored, sometimes with a pale green hue. The flowers are white and pale yellow. The fruit produced looks like a capsule that’s woody and brown in color. Every fruit contains 3 to 12 seeds.
Related Post:Homestead Stories: The Mighty Oak Tree
彩虹桉树独特的条纹树干是随着时间的推移而形成的。当树皮脱落时，树皮会慢慢变老，呈现出不同的颜色。首先，脱落显示出明亮的绿色。其次是其他颜色:蓝色、紫色、橙色和栗色。彩虹效应是树皮不规则脱落的结果。
Rainbow Tree Natural Habitat
Native to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, the rainbow eucalyptus is the only eucalyptus tree that lives in the rainforest, some even growing in rainforests in the Northern Hemisphere. It prefers the lowlands and lower montane rainforest from sea level to 5,900 feet. It’s also grown in habitats other than its natural one and is found in groves of trees in Maui, Hawaii.
Growing Conditions
Can we grow this tree in our own yards? It would require a lot of extra work to meet the growing requirements of this special tree. It needs full sun and moist soil so that it can reach its growth potential of about 3 feet per season. And, it wouldn’t do well in the cold, harsh winters of the northern hemisphere.
The tree requires a steady warm temperature, about 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, especially when starting the tree from seed. Once the tree is about 5 years old, the roots can’t be cut for the purpose of dividing it.
If you have a large sunroom or greenhouse, you may think you can try growing this tree in a controlled space. This tree grows very fast, however. As a mature tree, it can be as tall as 250 feet. Not something that will fit in most controlled growing spaces.
If you do happen to have the ideal outdoor climate and growing conditions, you will be pleased to see the results of your care within a short period of time. It doesn’t take long for this tree to mature and display its beauty.
Rainbow Tree Medicinal Applications
There are some natural folk medicines made from different parts of this tree. The leaves are known to be antiseptic and can be used to treat wounds or brewed in tea to treat asthma and coughs. In fact, this natural cold remedy is also a common ingredient in cold and cough products due to its natural anti-inflammatory agents. Since it helps to relieve congestion, the oil from the tree has relaxing qualities which help people who have difficulty sleeping. An added benefit is to have a hot shower with fresh or dried leaves as the oil is activated by the shower stream. The leaves are also used to repel mosquitoes.
Rainbow Eucalyptus Oil for Inflammation
Combine 8 drops of rainbow eucalyptus oil and 8 drops of peppermint oil (which is another pain reliever) and rub on inflamed joints. For a more potent anti-inflammatory, add 3 teaspoons of moringa carrier oil. This is an oil extracted from the seeds of the smallMoringa oleiferaLam tree found in the Himalayan mountains. Often referred to as the miracle tree due to its many health-related uses, the moringa carrier oil, combined with the rainbow eucalyptus oil and the peppermint oil, triples the effectiveness of joint relief.
Rainbow Tree Nonmedicinal Applications
Tree plantations around the world have fostered the rainbow eucalyptus as it’s a good source for pulpwood for the production of paper. The Philippines is known for its rainbow eucalyptus pulpwood plantations.
The wood of the rainbow eucalyptus is also in high demand. It’s a hardwood timber used for making furniture and other items.
像其他桉树一样，彩虹桉树可以有效地用于制造天然染料，然后用于丝绸或羊毛等织物。这种植物的任何部分都可以用来制造这些染料，尽管最常用的部分是叶子和树皮。产生的颜色从红色到琥珀色和金色不等，它们和彩虹色的树干没有任何关系。与其他天然染料不同，这种树制成的染料不需要媒染剂，媒染剂可以帮助染料牢固地粘附在纺织纤维上。
How to Make Rainbow Eucalyptus Dye
Use fresh or dried rainbow eucalyptus leaves. Crush the leaves as this will make greater surface area to soak up more of the natural dye components. Place in a dye pot or a large kettle. Cover with water and simmer on medium heat until the leaves have faded (because the dye has transferred to the water). This process takes about an hour, but the longer the simmering process, the deeper the dye. Strain the leaf crumbs and discard. Add wool yarn or fabrics intended for the dying and continue to simmer in the pot for another hour. Remove and hang the dyed fabrics or wool to dry thoroughly.
Problems Caused by the Rainbow Eucalyptus
The rainbow eucalyptus is also planted as an ornamental tree, but only in frost-free climates like Hawaii, southern California, Texas, and Florida. The Huntington Botanical Garden in San Marino, California has some young rainbow eucalyptus trees (about 50 to 60 years old), as does the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Florida. It’s also grown along the streets of Los Angeles for ornamental reasons.
这种生长迅速的大树会造成一些问题。由于它以其凸起的根部而闻名，在建筑物、人行道或道路附近种植它会破坏地基，并破坏混凝土人行道和道路。2022世界杯四强亚盘赔率因此，这种树更适合生长在开阔的地方，也许是公园和田野，在那里，它的芳香、美丽和受欢迎的树荫将被充分欣赏。
Leave a Reply