Bimble box is a small to medium eucalypt tree native to eastern Australia, typically reaching about 20 m, grown mainly as a windbreak or shade tree in dry inland areas. It needs full sun and well-drained soil, and it tolerates drought well once established.
Family
Myrtaceae (Myrtle family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly while young, then rely mostly on rainfall once established.
Soil
Red loams or sandy loams, well drained; tolerates clay loam.
Temperature
Frost tolerant once established; suited to hot summers, with young plants protected from hard frost.
How easy
Easy
Native range
E. Australia
Climate
subtropical
About
Eucalyptus populnea, commonly known as poplar box, bimble box or bimbil box, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the trunk and branches, egg-shaped, elliptical or more or less round leaves, flower buds arranged in groups of seven to fifteen or more, white flowers and conical, hemispherical or cup-shaped fruit.
Where it grows
Poplar box is widespread in New South Wales where it is found on the western plains north from Narrandera and Pooncarie, extending into Queensland as far as Rockhampton. It is most abundant in the northern and central sections on the western plains, becoming gradually less common the New South Wales far west, where it is restricted to areas that are more reliably watered and sandier.
Uses
The flowers of E. populnea produce honey of a good quality, but of limited supply, and which is very dense and pale amber in colour. The timber has been found to be durable and hard and is suitable for fence posts and construction work. However it is not any easy to work timber and is susceptible to white ant attack. It is a suitable species for a windbreak, as it can be propagated easily and is not difficult to establish. It is an excellent fuel, producing a great deal of heat and burns cleanly.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Eucalyptus populnea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.