MELBOURNE STREET TREES 145 - YELLOW GUM

Eucalyptus leucoxylon  or 'Yellow Gum' is a medium-sized tree which reaches 10-30 metres in height. The bark is retained on the lower trunk but the upper trunk and branches are smooth-barked and cream to grey in colour. . The adult leaves are lance-shaped to about 200 mm long. The flowers are usually seen in autumn and winter and may be white, cream, pink or red.

To describe Yellow Gum as a single tree type is extremely difficult, as this species has so many different forms. It has a native range extending from southern NSW through Victoria into most of South Australia, including Kangaroo Island. Rodger Elliot, in his Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants, identifies these horticultural characteristics of E. leucoxylon:
Suited to most areas, except the tropics;
Long flowering period;
Adapted to most soils, including alkaline soils;
Drought and frost tolerant;
Resistant to smog;
Moderately fast growing, and;
 Excellent for shelter, shade and wind erosion control.

Poor branch attachment and short lifespan are possibly the only limitation to using E. leucoxylon in the landscape. To overcome these problems, specific provenance and seed selections are recommended.

This is a popular tree in cultivation, particularly subsp. megalocarpa which often has red or pink flowers (often called 'Rosea'). It is generally regarded as a more reliable red-flowered species for humid climates than Corymbia ficifolia, the Western Australian red flowering gum. However, as it is native to a dry-summer climate, it is not reliable in tropical areas. It performs best in well-drained, moist soils but, once established is tolerant of extended dry conditions.

This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.