"David Hare-Scott" writes:

"mansfieldman" wrote in message
...
[...] How can I identify the different types of Eucalypts
and natives around me.

"A field guide to Australian trees" Ivan Holliday
"Australian trees key guide" Leonard Cronin
"Native trees and shrubs of SE Aus" Leon Costermans

the 2nd and 3rd are better for the systematic ID of eucalypts

If you don't have much experience with eucalypt ID, then the book
by Costermans is the best, since it has quite detailed descriptions,
photos and diagrams and distribution maps. In the Victorian
high country, there are about 4 subspecies of snow gums, Eucalyptus
pauciflora, the unmistakable alpine ash, E. delegatensis, and some
fairly rare species like the Bogong Gum, E. chapmanniana, or
Buffalo Sallee, E. mitchelliana. On the lower slopes, narrow-leaf
peppermint, E. radiata, broad-leaved peppermint, E. dives, manna
gum, E. viminalis, messmate stringybark, E. obliqua, candlebark,
E. rubida, red stringybark, E. macrorhyncha, just to name the
more obvious ones.

Same deal as where you used to live; gums have smooth bark,
stringbarks have bark peeling off in long strips, peppermints and
boxes have bark which breaks down into short fibres when rubbed
between the fingers. For any given location, there is usually
only a choice of two or three gums, two or three boxes or
peppermints and two or three stringybarks. In a few cases, such
as trying to decide between manna gum and E. dalrympleana, you
need to look at the juvenile leaves or bud and fruit characters.