Tree to 70 m tall; bark smooth, apart from base which has persistent slabs, shedding in large strips and slabs, yellowish or grey. Juvenile leaves sessile, opposite for many pairs on conspicuously winged stems, elliptic to ovate, to 15 cm long, 10.5 cm wide, glaucous; adult leaves petiolate, alternate, falcate or lanceolate, 15–30 cm long, 1.7–3 cm wide, concolorous, glossy, green to dark green; reticulation moderately dense, with numerous, mostly intersectional oil glands. Inflorescences axillary, unbranched; 1-, 3- or 7-flowered; buds sessile or pedicellate, hypanthium obconical; operculum flattened, prominently umbonate, very warty, glaucous or green, scar present; stamens inflexed; anthers cuneate; ovules in 4–8 vertical rows; flowers white. Fruit sessile or pedicellate, obconical to hemispherical; disc flat to annular; valves 4 or 5, about rim level, partly covered by lobes of disc; seed black-brown, flattened-ellipsoid, shallowly reticulate, hilum ventral. Southern Blue-gum.
GleP, VVP, VRiv, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, NIS, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, MonT, HFE, VAlp.
All the subspecies of E. globulus are notable for the saplings to more than head height, which are conspicuous with large, glaucous juvenile leaves. These can be seen along roadsides or in disturbed areas where the parent trees occur. Coppice growth of similar form can often be seen as new sprouts on upper trunks and branches. Eucalyptus globulus is an important plantation species and has been the subject of several studies (Kirkpatrick 1975, Jordan et al. 1993) which have revealed that subspp. globulus, bicostata and pseudoglobulus intergrade extensively. The natural distribution of subsp. globulus, in Victoria, has undoubtedly been confused by forestry plantings this century.
