Eucalyptus trees on the island of Crete.

Nederlands talige teksten

You can recognize eucalyptus trees by their height and peeled off or flaked trunks. They originally come from Australia and came on the island at the end of the previous century. In Australia they were used to dry swamps to chase away the malaria mosquito. The large and wide roots system forms a kind of sponge and sucks up large amounts of water. In Australia they can reach a length of 90 metres high. They are also the fastest growing subtropical trees.

The leaves of the eucalyptus tree contain oil and tannin and are hard to digest, which makes undergrowth impossible. The leaves spread a ‘very nice’ odour, much hated by mosquitoes. However, the thought that mosquitoes will not visit your terrace when it smells like eucalyptus appears to be a fable.

The dried leaves are used for the production of eucalyptus oil. In the practice of medicine this oil is used against asthma and chronic bronchitis. Further more, the matter ‘Eucalyptol’ is used in coughing tablets, syrup, tooth paste and in an inhalation instrument.