Michael , two points you made below need defending as they are not quite
factual .
Paulonia's have no chance of becoming an * invasive environmental weed * ,
due to the fact that seed germination is extremely difficult and is only
achievable under intense nursery conditions . At present most Paulonias are
being grown in timber plantations and will hopefully one day soon offer an
alternative to much of the hardwood used to-day .
Secondly Camphor laurels do not * exude * camphor , nor do Eucalypts exude
eucalyptus ( also a powerfull insecticide ) , or Melaleuca alternifolia
exude " Tea-tree oil " , and the list goes on , all of these are oils
contained in the plant and need a distillation process to either extract or
release them . As for suppressing other plants growing beneath Camphor
laurels , to the contrary most plants grow exceptionally well , indeed as
well as they would under any large tree with an extensive root area a large
canopy and a fairly high water demand .
This constant " feral bashing ", "farmer bashing ", and "environmental weed"
bashing is totally unproductive , and I believe has become very boring on
this list .
John McLaren .
> I hope that no readers will assume that because Regent
> Honeyeaters and other HEs will feed on Paulonias that therefore
> these are a good thing.
>
> It's a good bet that like so many other horticultural species it
> will become - if it hasn't already done so - an invasive
> environmental weed with unknown consequences. Cf. Camphor
> Laurel: I've only just learnt that it exudes - you've guessed it
> - camphor, a great insecticide which also suppresses most plants
> beneath a tree.
>
> Michael Norris
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