Scientists have found gold growing on eucalypts trees in Australia

We’ve all heard the phrase “money doesn’t grow on trees,” but perhaps we’re being misled. Researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation (CSIRO) in Western Australia have discovered tiny grains of gold in the leaves of eucalyptus trees, also known as gum trees.

If you’re imagining vast amounts of gold leaves glittering in the sunlight, prepare to be disappointed. The specks of gold found in the leaves are so tiny (five times smaller than the width of a human hair) and one would require access to advanced X-ray imaging to see.

“If you had 500 gums growing over a gold deposit and you managed to get all the gold on the trees, the trunk, the leaves and the roots, you might get enough gold to make one wedding ring,” CSIRO geochemist Dr Mel Lintern told News.com.

Although the leaves are not worth mining, the trees can still lead to real riches.
“As the gold is likely to be toxic to the plant, it is moved to the leaves and branches where it can be released or shed to the ground,” Dr Lintern says.