The range of the tree extends through the Murchison, Mallee, Esperance Plains and Coolgardie regions as far east as the Great Victoria Desert.

Eastern occurrences are far less disturbed and extend as far as Cundeelee to the north, around the Mt Gibson area, and to around Salmon Gums in the south.

It is recognised as being Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as of 2019[update], as a result of its severely fragmented population.

The cap of the flower bud is formed by the fusion of the sepals, and opens when mature to expose the reproductive organs.

The stamens are bent irregularly and have spherical to cubic shaped anthers that are attached at the base that spilt along slits.

Salmon gums belong to a group of eucalypts that require a catastrophic event to cause large numbers of seeds to fall.

[13] Eucalyptus salmonophloia was first formally described by the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1878 in his book Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae,[14][15] based on samples collected by Ernest Giles from near Victoria Springs.

The range extends through the Murchison, Mallee, Esperance Plains and Coolgardie regions as far east as the Great Victoria Desert.

Eastern occurrences are far less disturbed and extend as far as Cundeelee to the north around the Mt Gibson area and to around Salmon Gums to the south.

loxophleba in the overstorey and a huge variety of species in the understorey including Acacia erinacea, Templetonia sulcata, Melaleuca acuminata, Santalum acuminatum, Sclerolaena diacantha, Rhagodia drummondii, Austrostipa trichophylla and Calandrinia calyptrata.

[3] It is recognised as being Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as of 2019[update], as a result of its severely fragmented population.

[1] The Eucalypt woodlands of the Western Australia wheatbelt region, of which the salmon gum is considered to be a key plant species, were listed as critically endangered in December 2015[24]: 1  according to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

[7] The Ngadju peoples who inhabited the Great Western Woodland rarely burned old growth forests of E. salmonophloia, knowing that it would take centuries for the area to completely recover.

[25]: A55 Within the Great Western Woodlands two types of Salmon Gum woodlands have been identified: Other types of salmon gum communities include: Hollows in live or dead trees with a diameter at breast height of over 300 mm (12 in) are a known nesting area[27] for six species of Black cockatoos, two of which are endangered species,[28] including Carnaby's black cockatoo.

[25]: A56 If the fruit of the plant drops to the ground once disturbed by birds or insects it is prone to destruction or predation by ants.

[32] Other observed pollinators include two species of honeyeater, purple-crowned lorikeets (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala) and a Euryglossine bee.

It is thought that the resilience of seed maturation fitness in smaller and fragmented populations results from wide outcrossing from long-distance pollen dispersal by birds between the populations or more efficient zygotic selection in the fruits so that only more highly outbred seeds are able to mature.

[33] Given these trees are long lived and large they are thought to be likely to be predominantly outcrossing and have a mixed mating system.

[33] The timber produced by E. salmonophloia is noted for its durability and is used to make railway sleepers and mining shaft supports.

Historically, the mining industry cut down the tree to use for construction and as a fuel source, and along with two acacia species it is credited with allowing the development of the goldfields.

[36] The heartwood of the tree is fine-textured and dense with a reddish to dark red-brown colour and has considerable potential for use in high value furniture, flooring, panelling, craftwood and in musical instruments such as flute headpoints.

Craftsmen rate the wood as good for turning, machinability, boring, screwholding, stability, sanding, gluing and finishing.

[11][35] The honey produced is clear and fine and the naturalised bees can use hollow tree trunks as a site for a hive.