Press Releases
5 March 2007
What's what in the world of gum trees - a special look at the Eucalyptus
When: Wednesday 23 May
Time: 11am to 12pm
Where: The Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne
Cost: $6.50 adults, $5.50 children/concession
Bookings required: Tel: (03) 5990 2245
Have you ever wondered which Gum Tree is which and how botanists decide who is who in the plant world?
Join RBG Plant Scientist Dr Frank Udovicic on a tour of discovery in the Australian Garden.
He will lead visitors through the Eucalyptus Walk discussing the quest to classify Australia’s iconic tree, an amazing story of obsession, passion and discovery.
This tour date (23 May) coincides with the 300th birthday of Carl Linnaeus, often called the ‘Father of Taxonomy’. Linnaeus developed the science of taxonomy, or a system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms which continues to influence generations of biologists.
Dr Udovicic, Manager, Plant Sciences at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, is one of Australia’s leading experts on Eucalyptus. His one-hour walk will focus on the importance of scientific names and why they are better than common names in many instances.
He will also cover history of naming of eucalypts, which dates back to 1788, when Eucalyptus obliqua was described by the French botanist L'Heritier, in London, from Tasmanian material collected in 1777 on Cook's third expedition.
“Since then many different botanists have proposed different schemes to classify the eucalypts and give some order to the roughly 900 species that are currently recognised,” said Dr Udovicic.
Dr Udovicic will spend time looking at the specimens in the Australian Garden, helping visitors to identify the three major groups of Eucalyptus.
Demonstration: Eucalyptus oil
When: Saturday 26 May
Time: 2pm to 3pm
Where: The Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne
Cost: $6.50 adults, $5.50 children/concession
Bookings required: Tel: (03) 5990 2245
Joseph Bosisto, a pharmacist from England, pioneered the commercial production of eucalyptus oil in 1852, commencing operations at a small distillery near Dandenong Creek in Victoria. Since that time Eucalyptus oil has
become and remains an iconic Australian fragrance.
Join Bosisto’s Tegan Abbott and learn more about the fascinating history of Eucalyptus oil production and the interesting household uses of this product.
This is a wonderful chance to talk to a real Eucalyptus oil connoisseur and discovery the surprising variety of scents produced from gum trees.
Public inquiries: Bookings can be made by calling +61 3 5990 2245.
Media enquiries: John Myers (03) 9818 6339.
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