Rainbow Trees

The Rainbow Eucalyptus or Eucalyptus deglupta is a spectacular tall tree, also known as Mindanao gum, or rainbow gum. It is characterized by multi-colored bark which thrives in tropical forests that get a lot of rain.

Often referred to as a ‘living work of art’, there are over 700 species of eucalyptus which can grow up to 250 feet tall in its native environment. The Rainbow Eucalyptus is native to the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. It is also common in the warmer states of the US like, Hawaii, the southern portions of California, Texas and Florida.

The outstanding feature of the rainbow eucalyptus tree is its multi-coloured trunk, which change as strips of bark in different spots are shed and the underlying area changes from green to another colour. This process means that no two rainbow eucalyptus trees look the same. As the tree grows, its outer bark delicately peels to reveal the inner bark, which starts out in pastel green and deepens into orange, red, pastel blue, and sunset pink hues. These multi-color streaks set the Eucalyptus Tree apart.

The tree produces white flowers with evergreen leaves. The leaves contain glands that produce an aromatic oil which release a pleasant scent when crushed. The eucalyptus oil sufficiently diluted can be used as a medicine, an insecticide and a fragrance component. However, in the Philippines, the tree is harvested for pulp wood to make paper.