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K oalas are extremely pickly eaters, however, preferring only a few types of leaves at a time, from the relatively small number of eucalyptus species comprising their overall habitat. This fact has become particularly problematic in recent years as the destruction of their trees has been allowed to proceed at an alarming rate. There have been reports of koalas occasionally eating leaves from trees other than eucalyptus, such as the Acacia costata, Bombax malabrica, Pinus radiata, Tristania conferta, and Tristania sauveolens. To identify the eucalyptus trees that koalas universally prefer with 100% accuracy is impossible, as information that has been recorded over the years from even within the relatively small number of areas where koalas continue to live has proven to be variable. A few species in each major region seem to be common such as the manna gum (Eucalyptus viminalis) and the grey gum (Eucalyptus punctata) and red gum (Eucalyptus camaidulensis) in New South Wales and Queensland. The table below is based upon verified observations from within the Eucalyptus group.

Linean Name		English Name			Common	Less Common
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E. acmeniodes		White Mahogany				     *
E. amplifolia		Cabbage Gum				     *
E. blakelyi		Blakely's Red Gum			     *
E. botryoides		Southern or Bangalay Mahogany		     *
E. camaldulensis	River Red Gum			   *
E. camphora		Broad-Leafed Sallee			     *
E. cambageana		Coowarra Box				     *
E. cinerea		Argyle Apple				     *
E. citriodora		Lemon-Scented Gum			     *
E. creba		Narrow-Leafed Red Ironbark		     *
E. dalrympleana		Mountain Gum				     *
E. drepanophylla	Queensland Grey Ironbark		     *
E. elata		Willow Peppermint			     *
E. globulus		Tasmanian Blue Gum		   *
E. goniocalyx		Long-Leafed Box			   *
E. grandis		Flooded Gum				     *
E. haemastoma		Scribbly Gum				     *
E. largiflorens		Black Box				     *
E. macrohyncha		Red Stringybark				     *
E. maculata		Spotted Gum				     *
E. melliodora		Yellow Box				     *
E. microcorys		Yellow Wood				     *
E. nicholii		Small-Leafed Peppermint			     *
E. obliqua		Messmate				     *
E. ovata		Swamp Gum			   *
E. piluraris		Blackbutt				     *
E. populnea		Poplar Box				     *
E. propinqua		Small Fruited Grey Gum			     *
E. punctata		Grey Gum			   *
E. resinefera		Red Mahogany				     *
E. robusta		Small or Swamp Mahogany			     *
E. rubida		Candle Bark				     *
E. saligna		Sydney Blue Gum				     *
E. scoparia		Wallengara White			     *
E. sideroxylon rosea	Pink Flowering Ironbark			     *
E. tereticornis		Forest Red Gum			   *
E. thozetiana		Mountain Yapungah			     *
E. viminalis		Manna or Ribbon Gum			     *
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-- From: The Koalas - Australia's Ancient Ones by Ken Phillips --
-- Video clip, from: Gulliver Film Prudctions --