The San Diego Zoo has quite a few botanical wonders from Down Under by the koalas and our other Australian and New Zealand animals: Queensland lacebark trees, New Zealand Christmas trees, flaxleaf paperbarks, Australian flame trees, and, of course, plenty of eucalyptus, the gum trees made famous in the kookaburra song and other Australian ditties. Because our climates are so similar, many of the Australian plants and trees that were brought in as botanical novelties in the 1800s and early 1900s have since become common landscaping elements. In fact, some, like the eucalyptus, even seem like native Californians!
