Manna Gum Eucalyptus viminalis

Through the warmer months, long ribbons of shed bark hang off the upper limbs of a Manna Gum and gather in the fork of every branch. The name comes from the sweet white exudate that forms where insects puncture the leaves and stems. The trunk keeps a rough fibrous stocking at the base and runs smooth white and grey above it, under an open crown on a very large tree. It is a primary koala food tree through Victoria and southern New South Wales, and a mainstay of revegetation work.

Cool moist country, and ribbon bark as fuel

It belongs to the cooler, moister country of Victoria, the southern ranges, the tablelands and slopes of New South Wales and the ACT, and it takes hard frost as a matter of course. Full sun, and it does better on deeper soils that hold some moisture than on shallow dry gravel, though it is not demanding once established. Growth is fast. In shelterbelts and along creek lines, space for a broad open crown and plan the row as habitat rather than as a tidy screen, because the litter is constant and the canopy is never dense.

Fire behaviour is the consideration that matters here. Ribbon bark hanging in the canopy and piled at the base is a ladder fuel, and in a bushfire it carries flame up into the crown and sheds burning strips downwind. In a fire prone district, keep Manna Gum well away from the house and outbuildings, and do not plant it as a screen close to structures. Away from buildings, on a creek line or in a corridor, it is the right tree.

Manna Gum among the koala feed trees

Among the koala feed species in this range, forest red gum covers the warmer coastal country from Gippsland to the tropics, while Manna Gum takes the cooler south. River red gum is the floodplain species, heavier again in the crown and a serious limb dropper. Bark separates them at a glance: this one hangs its shed bark in long ribbons, where the red gums shed in patches and leave a mottled trunk. Pick Manna Gum for cool climate habitat work with real koala value, and pick forest red gum instead if your summers are humid and your winters mild. Fire behaviour is the other deciding factor, because the ribbons make this the one to keep furthest from the house. Advanced sizes are in advanced trees.

Shaping, and raking the ribbons back

Formative pruning belongs in the first three or four years: one leader, competing stems shortened while small, tight forks removed, canopy lifted in stages, all of it in the dormant end of winter. On an established tree, prune only for deadwood, clearance and fuel reduction around the base, and have large limbs removed by an arborist rather than topping the tree. Feeding is unnecessary in revegetation settings, and light in a garden, where a spring feed of a native product for the first year or two covers it. Rake the ribbon bark away from the trunk each summer if you are in a fire prone area.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 6 sizes, from 70mm up to 400mm, priced from $16.95 to $229.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to Australian native trees for shade.