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Retrograde

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63. Eucalyptus globulus

Fri Nov 26, 2021, 04:24 PM

Nov 2021

a.k.a., the Tasmanian blue gum. Back in the 1850s someone had the bright idea to import them to California thinking they'd make great timber. They don't. They've spread over much of the Bay Area, growing in the hills. They shed their bark all year round, they drop pyramidal seeds like organic caltrops (which makes it dangerous to walk down to the corner since they're a tripping hazard) and tend to burn rapidly and hotly, making them a major fire hazard. And we didn't even get the koalas to go with them - although I hear they have problems as well.

And don't get me started on oxalis....

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A Tree That Was Once the Suburban Ideal Has Morphed Into an Unstoppable Villain [View all] Demovictory9 Nov 2021 OP

Thought this world needed more trees to combat climate change? KS Toronado Nov 2021 #1

Native species do a better job of sequestering carbon NickB79 Nov 2021 #5

Thanks for the info. KS Toronado Nov 2021 #23

Japanese Honeysuckle MuseRider Nov 2021 #32

Cutting won't do it. Has to be pulled out by roots. n/t yagotme Nov 2021 #34

Never going to happen here then. MuseRider Nov 2021 #38

That really sucks. yagotme Nov 2021 #44

When I had my house I_UndergroundPanther Nov 2021 #70

Congrats. Dark n Stormy Knight Nov 2021 #72

My problem is multiple growths throughout the yard, yagotme Nov 2021 #73

You absolutely need to use herbicides on the cut stumps in fall NickB79 Nov 2021 #51

In the fall! MuseRider Nov 2021 #61

I got rid of a bunch of Honeysuckle once KS Toronado Nov 2021 #68

Sorry not true...species like the pear tree do help with the environment just as well as a native Demsrule86 Nov 2021 #49

Not even close NickB79 Nov 2021 #50

Your are off base. Non native invasive plants really hurt our biodiversity, the supportive capacity Botany Nov 2021 #8

Bradford Pears are not what we need. There are plenty of native trees that ms liberty Nov 2021 #14

agreed, can't stand bradfords. Amishman Nov 2021 #18

Humans, like other animals, disperse seeds and cuttings of plants, etc. Klaralven Nov 2021 #2

And when trees are under threat, they have ways to luvtheGWN Nov 2021 #27

They are evil. luvs2sing Nov 2021 #3

And they break really easy. nt leftyladyfrommo Nov 2021 #4

Yes. They tend to split very easily once they grow large peggysue2 Nov 2021 #6

They do and sometimes after the main trunk breaks radical noodle Nov 2021 #16

This reminds me of the guy who used to live across the street from me who removed all the pine trees GoCubsGo Nov 2021 #55

Don't buy Bradford Pears, but there are worse! LeftInTX Nov 2021 #7

All Callery Pears are bad. Bradfords were sold as sterile but they produce viable seed when ... Botany Nov 2021 #13

Mimosa trees too n/t radical noodle Nov 2021 #17

I didn't know that. Marcuse Nov 2021 #36

No relation! LeftInTX Nov 2021 #58

Bamboo, as well. GoCubsGo Nov 2021 #57

+1 llmart Nov 2021 #29

Norway Maples aren't a problem in Texas 🤣 LeftInTX Nov 2021 #35

The idiots who built my house planted Ligustrum as a foundation plant. GoCubsGo Nov 2021 #56

Don't South Carolina and the South have a kudzu problem? Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2021 #9

Goats have helped with kudzu. greymattermom Nov 2021 #11

Cool. Glad to hear it. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2021 #12

Yes, we still have kudzu. It's a curse. n/t ms liberty Nov 2021 #15

The entire south, but it's overrated.... paleotn Nov 2021 #20

Cool. Thanks for the context! . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2021 #40

A rule of thumb VGNonly Nov 2021 #10

And he goes "Hmmm" - Aren't ANY trees invasive at one point??? packman Nov 2021 #19

If mom nature does it, sure.... paleotn Nov 2021 #22

Kick dalton99a Nov 2021 #21

There was a big one growing next to the veg garden when I moved to this house Siwsan Nov 2021 #24

When we moved up north.... paleotn Nov 2021 #25

As alien invasives have always been my personal enemy Mossfern Nov 2021 #26

+1 llmart Nov 2021 #30

You can plant American Bittersweet but not the Oriental Bittersweet Botany Nov 2021 #45

This message was self-deleted by its author Klaralven Nov 2021 #46

Thanks for the extended list Mossfern Nov 2021 #47

You can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good Botany Nov 2021 #64

Thanks Mossfern Nov 2021 #71

Actually, even though there is a native bittersweet, it's still invasive. llmart Nov 2021 #65

Nursery/Garden Center I worked at sold Edelweiss, Mt. Laurel, some types of azaleas, and sourwood .. Botany Nov 2021 #69

Brazilian Pepper trees also very invasive and it's now illegal to plant in Fl. Fla Dem Nov 2021 #28

They're ugly too! Along with Australian Pine! LeftInTX Nov 2021 #37

Looks pretty. 800$! Pricey!! Demovictory9 Nov 2021 #39

I did landscape labor in the 1980's when I was in college. We planted a lot of these. Gore1FL Nov 2021 #31

We don't have an invasive tree problem here, but we do have an invasive plant. BobTheSubgenius Nov 2021 #33

Will goats eat it? Some folks hire out herds of goats for weed control. nt Hekate Nov 2021 #41

I was wondering that myself. BobTheSubgenius Nov 2021 #42

I haven't personally seen them in action, but I keep reading about them & love the thought... Hekate Nov 2021 #60

.... and then there's the deer Mossfern Nov 2021 #43

A landscaper told me they grow fast but have relatively weak branches gulliver Nov 2021 #48

In Southern California, in my youth, The "Tree of Heaven," MineralMan Nov 2021 #52

"Invasive tree of heaven more like a tree of hell for some" Demovictory9 Nov 2021 #53

Exactly. It's very productive of seeds, and also commonly spreads MineralMan Nov 2021 #54

The squirrels plant them all over my yard Retrograde Nov 2021 #62

I have been blessed for 30 years with a worse Japanese invasion Doremus Nov 2021 #59

Eucalyptus globulus Retrograde Nov 2021 #63

Sounds like a great candidate for BONSAI in a pot and cultured. TigressDem Nov 2021 #66

I wonder if it's ok for pollinators. jeffreyi Nov 2021 #67