Plants and Animals Index

Yellow Box and Grey Box

The associations of Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) with Grey Box (E. microcarpa) occur on sandy soils above flood level. This picture is taken at Grinter's Ridge with an understorey of Wallaby Grass (Danthonia spp.).  in the Barmah / Millewa Forest.

Yellow Box Scientific name: Eucalyptus melliodora

Other common names: Honey Box, Yellow Ironbark, Yellow Iron Box, Honey-scented Gum

Grey Box Scientific name: Eucalyptus microcarpa

Other common names: Gum-topped Box, Inland Grey Box, Narrow leaved Box, Western Grey Box

Yellow Box trees are a favourite food for koalas, Grey Box has very hard and durable timber, and they are both good honey trees.

Yellow Box trees have fibrous and flaky yellow, grey or red-brown bark on the lower half of the trunk.

They grow to around 30 metres in height, usually near rivers or in open, flat areas, tablelands or on gentle slopes. They are found from the Darling Downs in Queensland through to Horsham in Victoria.

Grey Box trees have bark that sheds in ribbons. They tend to grow on slightly elevated land that does not experience flooding. There are not many Grey Box trees left due to European settlement and clearing of land.

The hard timber from these eucalypt trees have been used for a variety of purposes, such as fencing posts and floor boards.

There are more than 700 species of eucalypt trees, mostly native to Australia. The name Eucalypt comes from the Greek words eu – well, and kaluptos – cover, meaning ‘well-covered’. This refers to the bud cap in which the flower is contained. The cap is actually the flower petals that have been modified. As the flower grows, the cap falls off and the feathery stamen show, which looks like a fluffy flower.