Eucalyptus marginata

Jarrah
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Eucalyptus
Species:
E. marginata
Binomial name
Eucalyptus marginata
Donn ex Sm.[2][3][4]
Subspecies
  • E. marginata subsp. marginata[5]
  • E. marginata subsp. thalassica[6]
  • E. marginata subsp. spurgeana[7]
Synonyms[2]
  • Eucalyptus floribunda Hügel ex Endl.
  • Eucalyptus hypoleuca Schauer
  • Eucalyptus mahagoni F.Muell. orth.var.[8]
  • Eucalyptus mahoganii F.Muell.
  • Eucalyptus marginata Donn nom. inval., nom. nud.
  • Eucalyptus pedicellata Maiden nom. inval., pro syn.
  • Eucalyptus pedicellata Grimwade nom. inval., pro syn.

Eucalyptus marginata, commonly known as jarrah,[9] is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibrous bark, leaves with a distinct midvein, white flowers and relatively large, more or less spherical fruit. Its hard, dense timber is insect resistant although the tree is susceptible to dieback. The timber has been utilised for cabinet-making, flooring and railway sleepers. It is known as djarraly in Noongar language[10] and historically as Swan River mahogany,[11]

Description

Jarrah is a tree which sometimes grows to a height of up to 50 m (160 ft) with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 3.5 m (11 ft), but is more often 40 m (130 ft) tall with a DBH of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Less commonly it can be a small mallee to 3 m (9.8 ft) high.[12] Older specimens have a lignotuber and roots that extend down as far as 40 m (100 ft).

It is a stringybark with rough, greyish-brown, vertically grooved, fibrous bark which sheds in long flat strips. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, narrow lance-shaped, often curved, 8–13 cm (3–5 in) long and 1.5–3 cm (0.6–1 in) broad, shiny dark green above and paler below. There is a distinct midvein, spreading lateral veins and a marginal vein separated from the margin. The stalked flower buds are arranged in umbels of between 4 and 8, each bud with a narrow, conical cap 5–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long. The flowers 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) in diameter, with many white stamens and bloom in spring and early summer. The fruit are spherical to barrel-shaped, and 9–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) long and broad.[13][14][15][16][17]

  • Bark
    Bark
  • The Looming Relic, the largest jarrah
    The Looming Relic, the largest jarrah
  • Blossom
    Blossom

Taxonomy and naming

Roadside jarrah tree in Darling Range

The name Eucalyptus marginata was first used in 1796 by James Donn in the second edition of his Hortus Cantabrigiensis,[18] but his name was a nomen nudum because Dunn did not include a description of the species.[19] The first formal description of the species was by James Edward Smith in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London in 1802. Smith noted that his specimens had grown from seeds brought from Port Jackson and noted a resemblance to both Eucalyptus robusta and E. pilularis.[20][21] The specific epithet (marginata) is a Latin word meaning "furnished with a border".[22] Smith did not provide an etymology for the epithet but did note that, compared to E. robusta "the margin [of the leaves] is more thickened".[21]

Distribution and habitat

Eucalyptus marginata occurs in the south-west corner of Western Australia, generally where the rainfall isohyet exceeds 600 mm (20 in). It is found inland as far as Mooliabeenee, Clackline and Narrogin and in the south as far east as the Stirling Range. Its northern limit is Mount Peron near Jurien Bay but there are also outliers at Kulin and Tutanning in the Pingelly Shire. The plant often takes the form of a mallee in places like Mount Lesueur and in the Stirling Range but it is usually a tree and in southern forests sometimes reaches a height of 40 metres (130 ft). It typically grows in soils derived from ironstone and is generally found within its range, wherever ironstone is present.[13][23][24]

The jarrah forest occurs in either intimate mixtures or as a mosaic of different forest types with marri (Corymbia calophylla), wandoo (E. wandoo), powderbark wandoo (E. accedens), blackbutt (E. patens), karri (E. diversicolor) and yellow tingle (E. guilfoylei).[25]

The area of jarrah forest at the time of European settlement is estimated to have been 2.8 million hectares, although the species occurred over an area double that size. Sixty five per cent of the original forest area remains, with approximately 1.6 million hectares on public land. The forests are located within the south-west botanical province of Western Australia which is recognised as one of the world's 25 global biodiversity hotspots, with approximately 7,400 species of vascular plants, half of which are endemic. It is home to 245 vertebrate species, comprising 29 mammal, 150 bird, 44 reptile, 11 amphibian and 11 fish.[26]

Ecology

Jarrah dieback is a disease caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi but affects many other plants species as well as Eucalyptus marginata. More reliable indicators of site infestation are Banksia grandis and understorey species such as Xanthorrhoea preissii and X. gracilis. The sites where E. marginata is most at risk are those where the soil profile does not allow trees to develop an extensive deep, vertical root system, so that summer survival is much more dependent on internally stored water.[27]

Jarrah is regarded as one of the six forest giants found in Western Australia; the other trees include; Eucalyptus gomphocephala (tuart), Eucalyptus diversicolor (karri), Eucalyptus jacksonii (red tingle), Corymbia calophylla (marri) and Eucalyptus patens (yarri).[28][29]

Jarrah has shown considerable adaptation to different ecologic zones – as in the Swan Coastal Plain and further north, and also to a different habitat of the lateritic Darling Scarp.[30]

The jarrah tree produces an abundance of creamy white flowers during its blooming season which typically occurs between September and January. The jarrah is capable of flowering each year, but full the floral cycle takes three years to complete. Significant flowering events occur on a four to six year cycle, with most trees within any region flowering at the same time.[31]

Conservation status

Eucalyptus marginata was added to the IUCN Red List as a "near threatened" species in 2019.[1]

Uses

Jarrah timber is mainly used for cabinet making and furniture, although in the past it was used in general construction, railway sleepers and piles. In the 19th century, famous roads in other countries were paved with jarrah blocks covered with asphalt.[9][13]

Jarrah wood was critical to charcoal making and charcoal iron smelting operations at Wundowie from 1948 to 1981.[32]

The local poet Dryblower Murphy wrote a poem, "Comeanavajarrah" that was published in The Sunday Times of May 1904, about the potential to extract alcohol from jarrah timber.[33]

After native logging became banned in Western Australia in 2024,[34] jarrah has become more rare, only able to be obtained as recycled timber from sources such as demolished houses and railway sleepers.

Eucalyptus marginata have been used for traditional purposes as well. Some parts of the jarrah tree were used as a remedy for some illnesses and diseases. Fever, colds, headaches, skin diseases and snakes bites were traditionally cured through the use of jarrah leaves and bark.[35]

Jarrah honey is a monofloral honey produced by bees that forage on the nectar of the jarrah tree. Like other honeys, it anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant qualities.[36] Average production of jarrah honey is only 100 tonnes per annum but the yield is significantly impacted by the environment (fire, rainfall, soil moisture and temperatures). For example a peak yield of 400 tonnes was recorded in the 2011–12 season, while the harvest was only 50 tonnes in the 2023–24 season.[36]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Fensham, R.; Laffineur, B.; Collingwood, T. (2019). "Eucalyptus marginata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T61913695A61913703. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T61913695A61913703.en. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Eucalyptus marginata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  4. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Sm". World Flora Online. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  5. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata subsp. marginata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata subsp. thalassica". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  7. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata". Kew Science. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
  8. ^ Mueller, F. (1860). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 2. p. 41.
  9. ^ a b "Jarrah - Eucalyptus marginata". Forest Products Commission - Western Australia. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Noongar word list". Kaartdijin Noongar. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  11. ^ Hewett, Peter Neil (1977). "Information sheet 1 – Tall Trees" (PDF). Forests Department Western Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  12. ^ Nicolle, Dean (2019). Eucalypts of Western Australia - The South-West Coast and Ranges (1st ed.). WA: Scott print. pp. 274–5. ISBN 978-0-646-80613-6.
  13. ^ a b c Gardner, Charles Austin (1987). Eucalypts of Western Australia. Perth: Western Australian Herbarium, Dept. of Agriculture, Western Australia. pp. 8–10. ISBN 0-7244-8998-3.
  14. ^ Wrigley, John (2012). Eucalypts: A Celebration. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-74331-080-9.
  15. ^ Lintern, Melvyn; Anand, Ravi; Ryan, Chris; Paterson, David (2013). "Natural gold particles in Eucalyptus leaves and their relevance to exploration for buried gold deposits". Nature Communications. 4: 2614. Bibcode:2013NatCo...4.2274L. doi:10.1038/ncomms3614. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 3826622. PMID 24149278.
  16. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata subsp. marginata". Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  17. ^ Boland, Douglas J.; Brooker, Ian; McDonald, Maurice W. (2006). Forest trees of Australia (5th ed.). Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Pub. p. 520. ISBN 0-643-06969-0.
  18. ^ Donn, James (1796). "Classis XII, Icosandria Monogynia". Hortus Cantabrigiensis: 63. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  19. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata". APNI. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  20. ^ "Eucalyptus marginata". APNI. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  21. ^ a b Smith, James Edward (1802). "Botanical Characters of four New-Holland Plants, of the Natural Order of Myrti". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 6: 302. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  22. ^ Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956). The Composition of Scientific Words. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 157.
  23. ^ Brooker, Ian (2012). Eucalyptus: An illustrated guide to identification. Chatswood, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland. p. 214. ISBN 978-1-921517-22-8.
  24. ^ Barrett, Russell (2016). Perth Plants. Clayton South, VIC: CSIRO Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-4863-0602-2.
  25. ^ Dell, B.; Havel, J. J.; Malajczuk, N., eds. (1989). The Jarrah Forest: A complex mediterranean ecosystem. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/978-94-009-3111-4. ISBN 978-94-010-7899-3.
  26. ^ Bradshaw, F.J. (June 2015). Reference Material for Farrah Forest Silviculture (PDF) (FEM061 Forest Management Series. ed.). Department of Parks and Wildlife: Forest and Ecosystem Management Division. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  27. ^ Davison, Elaine M. (2014). "Resolving confusions about jarrah dieback - don't forget the plants". Australasian Plant Pathology: 691–701. doi:10.1007/s13313-014-0302-y. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  28. ^ "Eucalyptus gomphocephala". Australian Seed. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  29. ^ "Eucalyptus gomphocephala". Plants For A Future. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  30. ^ Powell, Robert James and Emberson, Jane (1978).An old look at trees : vegetation of south-western Australia in old photographs Perth : Campaign to Save Native Forests (W.A.). ISBN 0-9597449-3-2 – has photographs of significant large old jarrah trees from the Swan Coastal Plain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
  31. ^ Abbott, Ian (1986). Ecology of Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) in the Northern Jarrah Forest of Western Australia. Dept Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia. ISBN 978-0-7309-1400-6.
  32. ^ Relix & Fiona Bush Heritage and Archaeology. "WUNDOWIE GARDEN TOWN CONSERVATION PLAN" (PDF). Wundowie Progress Association.
  33. ^ Murphy, Edwin G. "Comeanavajarrah". The Sunday Times (Western Australia). Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  34. ^ Lynch, Jacqueline; Forrester, Kate (1 January 2024). "Will there still be firewood? How Western Australia's native logging ban could affect you". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  35. ^ Barrett, Russell (2016). Perth Plants. Clayton South, VIC: CSIRO Publishing. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4863-0602-2.
  36. ^ a b Manning, Robert (2011). Research into Western Australian honeys. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia.

Further reading

  • Powell, Robert (1990). Leaf and Branch: Trees and Tall Shrubs of Perth. Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth, Western Australia. ISBN 0-7309-3916-2..
  • Wrigley, John W. & Fagg, Murray. (2012). Eucalypts: a celebration. Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74331-080-9
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Eucalyptus marginata at Wikimedia Commons
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