Along the Anaheim Coves Recreational Trail, the sun's first rays warm the trunk of a eucalyptus tree. Eucalyptus cinerea is a frequent filler in premade floral bouquets.

Q. I have a 3-year-old silver dollar eucalyptus tree about 20 feet tall. About two months ago the leaves began to turn brown. The leaves now are very brown, but when we scratch the trunk, it is green.

In this case, the bark will spiral up from the base and be painted a gray-brown meant to mimic a eucalyptus tree. If all goes well, it’ll hang off the fake trunk like it’s shedding, too.

Saturday’s tree was an 80-foot-tall eucalyptus that was at least 50 years old and had a trunk diameter between 6 and 8 feet, Los Angeles County firefighters said. Advertisement ...

Eucalyptus trees have a rough reputation across San Diego. They grow fast and have a tendency to fall over in high wind and rain events. But Brown says they can be safe if they're well maintained.