Nature is a wonderful thing, and with the environment under greater threat every day, it feels more important than ever to appreciate and protect the natural world however possible. I felt that acutely when I discovered the existence of the eucalyptus deglupta tree, or the rainbow eucalyptus, which looks exactly like a rainbow when its bark falls off.
- The rainbow effect is actually different layers of bark. When one layer peels off of the rainbow eucalyptus tree, the bark beneath is bright green. However, as those exposed layers mature, they turn various shades of blue, orange, red, and purple, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that are amazing to look at.
- Rainbow eucalyptus trees are found in very specific locations. Unsurprisingly, you probably won’t find these beauties in your local forest or woodland. They’re indigenous to the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. However, you can also them in some areas of Hawaii as well as Florida, Texas, and southern California if you can’t make it quite so far overseas.
- It’s the only species of eucalyptus tree native to the northern hemisphere. I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “eucalyptus,” I automatically think of koalas and therefore Australia. It’s true that most eucalyptus trees are found in the southern hemisphere. In fact, the rainbow variety is the only one native to the northern hemisphere.
- They can go up to three feet per season. That’s crazy! They also really thrive in moist environments, which makes sense why they’d do so well in hot, humid parts of the world. In their native environments, the trees can grow up to 250 feet tall, though the ones located in America only grow half as high.
- I think these might be my new favorite tree. I mean, I never really considered having a favorite tree before, but the rainbow eucalyptus tree is incredible.
