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Eucalyptus marginata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Jarrah" redirects here. For the name, seeJarrah (name).For other uses, seeJarrah (disambiguation).

Jarrah
Scientific classificationEdit 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
Subspecies
  • E. marginatasubsp.marginata[3]
  • E. marginatasubsp.thalassica[4]
Synonyms[2]
  • Eucalyptus floribundaHügel ex Endl.
  • Eucalyptus hypoleucaSchauer
  • Eucalyptus mahoganiF.Muell.orth. var.
  • Eucalyptus mahoganiiF.Muell.
  • Eucalyptus marginataDonn nom. inval.,nom. nud.
  • Eucalyptus pedicellataMaiden nom. inval., pro syn.
  • Eucalyptus pedicellataGrimwade nom. inval., pro syn.
Bark

Eucalyptus marginata,commonly known asjarrah,[5]djarralyinNoongarlanguage[6]and historically asSwan River mahogany,[7]is a plant in themyrtlefamily,Myrtaceaeand isendemicto thesouth-westofWestern 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 todieback.The timber has been utilised forcabinet-making,flooring andrailway sleepers.

Description

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The Looming Relic, the largest jarrah tree

Jarrah is a tree which sometimes grows to a height of up to 50 m (160 ft) with adiameter at breast height (DBH)of 3.5 m (11 ft), but more usually 40 m (130 ft) with a DBH of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Less commonly it can be a smallmalleeto 3 m (9.8 ft) high.[8]Older specimens have alignotuberand roots that extend down as far as 40 m (100 ft). It is astringybarkwith 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 inumbelsof 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 whitestamensand 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.[9][10][11][12][13]

Taxonomy and naming

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Roadside jarrah tree in Darling Range

Eucalyptus marginatawas first formallydescribedin 1802 byJames Edward Smith,whose description was published inTransactions of the Linnean Society of London.Smith noted that his specimens had grown from seeds brought fromPort Jacksonand noted a resemblance to bothEucalyptus robustaandE. pilularis.[14][15]Thespecific epithet(marginata) is aLatinword meaning "furnished with a border".[16]Smith did not provide anetymologyfor the epithet but did note that, compared toE. robusta"the margin [of the leaves] is more thickened".[15]

Distribution and habitat

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Eucalyptus marginataoccurs in the south-west corner of Western Australia, generally where the rainfallisohyetexceeds 600 mm (20 in). It is found inland as far asMooliabeenee,ClacklineandNarroginand in the south as far east as theStirling Range.Its northern limit is Mount Peron nearJurien Baybut there are alsooutliersatKulinand Tutanning in thePingelly Shire.The plant often takes the form of amalleein places likeMount Lesueurand 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 fromironstoneand is generally found within its range, wherever ironstone is present.[9][17][18]

Ecology

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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) andEucalyptus patens(Yarri).[19][20]

Jarrah is an important element in itsecosystem,providing numerous habitats for animal life – especially birds and bees – while it is alive, and in the hollows that form as the heartwood decays. When it falls, it provides shelter to ground-dwellers such as thechuditch(Dasyurus geoffroii), acarnivorousmarsupial.

Jarrah has shown considerable adaptation to different ecologic zones – as in theSwan Coastal Plainand further north, and also to a different habitat of the lateriticDarling Scarp.[21]

Jarrah is very vulnerable to dieback caused by theoomycetePhytophthora cinnamomi.In large sections of theDarling Scarpthere have been various measures to reduce the spread of dieback by washing down vehicles, and restricting access to areas of forest not yet infected.

Conservation status

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Eucalyptus marginatawas added to theIUCN Red Listas a "near threatened" species in 2019.[1]

Uses

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Jarrah blossom
Jarrah was commonly used forfencinginWestern Australia.
Jarrah wine rack
Second-hand jarrah flooring after 80 gritsandinginNew Zealand

Jarrah produces a dark, thick, tasty honey, but its wood is its main use. It is a heavy wood, with aspecific gravityof 1.1 when green. Its long, straight trunks of richly coloured and beautifully grained termite-resistant timber make it valuable for cabinet making, flooring, panelling and outdoor furniture. The finished lumber has a deep rich reddish-brown colour and an attractive grain. When fresh, jarrah is quite workable but when seasoned it becomes so hard that conventional wood-working tools are near useless on it.[22]It is mainly used for cabinet making and furniture although in the past it was used in general construction, railway sleepers andpiles.In the 19th century, famous roads in other countries were paved with jarrah blocks covered withasphalt.[5][9]

Jarrah wood is very similar to that of Karri,Eucalyptus diversicolor.Both trees are found in the southwest of Australia, and the two woods are frequently confused. They can be distinguished by cutting an unweathered splinter and burning it: karri burns completely to a white ash, whereas jarrah forms charcoal. This property of jarrah was critical to charcoal making andcharcoal ironsmelting operations atWundowiefrom 1948 to 1981.[23]Most of the best jarrah has been logged in southwestern Australia.[citation needed]

A large amount was exported to the United Kingdom, where it was cut into blocks and covered with asphalt for roads. One of the large exporters in the late nineteenth century wasM. C. Davieswho had mills in the Augusta - Margaret River region of the southwest, and ports atHamelin BayandFlinders Bay.

The local poetDryblower Murphywrote a poem, "Comeanavajarrah" that was published inThe Sunday Timesof May 1904, about the potential to extract alcohol from jarrah timber.[24]

As of the banning of native logging in Western Australia in 2024,[25]jarrah has become more highly prized, and can only be obtained as recycled timber from sources such as demolished houses and railway sleepers.

Jarrah is used in musical instrument making, for percussion instruments and guitar inlays.

Because of its remarkable resistance to rot, jarrah is used to makehot tubs.

Eucalyptus marginatahave 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.[26]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toEucalyptus marginata.

References

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  1. ^abFensham, 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.Retrieved11 April2024.
  2. ^ab"Eucalyptus marginata".Australian Plant Census.Retrieved27 January2021.
  3. ^"Eucalyptus marginatasubsp.marginata".Australian Plant Census.Retrieved27 January2021.
  4. ^"Eucalyptus marginatasubsp.thalassica".Australian Plant Census.Retrieved27 January2021.
  5. ^ab"Jarrah -Eucalyptus marginata".Forest Products Commission - Western Australia. Archived fromthe originalon 26 June 2019.Retrieved7 September2018.
  6. ^"Noongar word list".Kaartdijin Noongar.Retrieved7 September2018.
  7. ^Hewett, Peter Neil."Information sheet -" Tall Trees ""(PDF).Forests Department Western Australia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 September 2018.Retrieved7 September2018.
  8. ^Nicolle, Dean (2019).Eucalypts of Western Australia - The South-West Coast and Ranges(1st ed.). WA: Scott print. pp. 274–5.ISBN978-0-646-80613-6.
  9. ^abcGardner, Charles Austin (1987).Eucalypts of Western Australia.Perth: Western Australian Herbarium, Dept. of Agriculture, Western Australia. pp. 8–10.ISBN0724489983.
  10. ^Wrigley, John (2012).Eucalypts: A Celebration.Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. p. 60.ISBN978-1-74331-080-9.
  11. ^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.ISSN2041-1723.PMC3826622.PMID24149278.
  12. ^"Eucalyptus marginatasubsp.marginata".Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research.Retrieved1 June2020.
  13. ^Boland, Douglas J.; Brooker, Ian; McDonald, Maurice W. (2006).Forest trees of Australia(5th ed.). Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Pub. p. 520.ISBN0643069690.
  14. ^"Eucalyptus marginata".APNI.Retrieved26 September2016.
  15. ^abSmith, 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.Retrieved26 September2016.
  16. ^Brown, Roland Wilbur (1956).The Composition of Scientific Words.Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 157.
  17. ^Brooker, Ian (2012).Eucalyptus: An illustrated guide to identification.Chatswood, N.S.W.: Reed New Holland. p. 214.ISBN978-1-921517-22-8.
  18. ^Barrett, Russell (2016).Perth Plants.Clayton South, VIC: CSIRO Publishing. p. 124.ISBN978-1-4863-0602-2.
  19. ^"Eucalyptus gomphocephala".Australian Seed.Retrieved22 August2017.
  20. ^"Eucalyptus gomphocephala".Plants For A Future.Retrieved28 April2023.
  21. ^Powell, Robert James and Emberson, Jane (1978).An old look at trees: vegetation of south-western Australia in old photographsPerth: Campaign to Save Native Forests (W.A.).ISBN0-9597449-3-2– has photographs of significant large old jarrah trees from the Swan Coastal Plain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
  22. ^"Jarrah Timber. (Eucalyptus marginata, Sm.)".Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).1890(45): 188–190. 1 January 1890.doi:10.2307/4118419.JSTOR4118419.
  23. ^Relix & Fiona Bush Heritage and Archaeology."WUNDOWIE GARDEN TOWN CONSERVATION PLAN"(PDF).Wundowie Progress Association.
  24. ^Murphy, Edwin G."Comeanavajarrah".The Sunday Times (Western Australia).Retrieved20 April2018.
  25. ^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.Retrieved7 January2024.
  26. ^Barrett, Russell (2016).Perth Plants.Clayton South, VIC: CSIRO Publishing. p. 4.ISBN978-1-4863-0602-2.

Further reading

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  • Powell, Robert (1990).Leaf and Branch: Trees and Tall Shrubs of Perth.Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth, Western Australia.ISBN0-7309-3916-2..
  • Wrigley, John W. & Fagg, Murray. (2012).Eucalypts: a celebration.Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.ISBN978-1-74331-080-9
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