Gold Grows on Trees

The idiom “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” could be outdated and incorrect, as scientists have discovered trees indeed do. And these trees are not in some faraway planets in space; they are right here on Earth. The leaves of the trees hold gold. These magical trees are the eucalyptus trees. They grow in the mostly barren land in Western Australia and they have been somewhat of a mystery for a long time, as they are able to grow in the soils that hardly grow any life. These trees are able to survive due to their deep roots, which tap into groundwater supplies that are extremely deep in the earth, while the rest of the area remains poor. In addition to the water the trees take in, they also take in minerals, one of which is gold. The trees’ roots reach deep into the earth, which is where the land’s rich gold supplies may rest. Thus, the eucalyptus trees can take in gold particles from a depth of up to 30 meters, which is about as high as a 10-storey building. Through branches, these particles go to the leaves finally. However, before you start dreaming of participating in the next “gold rush”, keep in mind that the amount of gold is less than 0.000005% of the weight of each leaf. That is to say, it would take at least 500 trees to get enough gold for a ring.