The Guardian

Some years ago, I was told that eucalyptus trees could spontaneously combust. Initially, I dismissed this, but whenever I am in Italy I see a number of burnt-out eucalyptus ...

I GREW UP in Sydney close by a large national park, and we learned bushfire safety at school. Eucalypts can indeed explode; in the heat of a fire, the sap of the tree expands and can seep through ...