jarrah (tree)

''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, 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.

Description

Jarrah is a tree which sometimes grows to a height of up to with a DBH of , but more usually with a DBH of up to . Less commonly it can be a small mallee to high. Older specimens have a lignotuber and roots that extend down as far as . 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, long and 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 long. The flowers in diameter, with many white stamens and bloom in spring and early summer. The fruit are spherical to barrel-shaped, and long and broad.

Taxonomy and naming

''Eucalyptus marginata'' was first formally described in 1802 by James Edward Smith, whose description was published in ''Transactions of the Linnean Society of London''. Smith noted that his specimens had grown from seeds brought from Port Jackson and noted a resemblance to both ''Eucalyptus robusta'' and '' E. pilularis''. The specific epithet (''marginata'') is a Latin word meaning "furnished with a border". Smith did not provide an etymology for the epithet but did note that, compared to ''E. robusta'' "the margin f the leavesis more thickened".

Distribution and habitat

''Eucalyptus marginata'' occurs in the south-west corner of Western Australia, generally where the rainfall isohyet exceeds . 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 . It typically grows in soils derived from ironstone and is generally found within its range, wherever ironstone is present.

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).

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.

Ecology

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).

Jarrah is an important element in its ecosystem, 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 the chuditch (''Dasyurus geoffroii''), a carnivorous marsupial.

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.

Jarrah is very vulnerable to dieback caused by the oomycete ''Phytophthora cinnamomi''. In large sections of the Darling Scarp there have been various measures to reduce the spread of dieback by washing down vehicles, and restricting access to areas of forest not yet infected.

This evergreen hardwood tree lives for 400 or more years and typically reaches maturity at 70 - 120 years. Senescence is believed to occurs beyond 250 years.

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.

Conservation status

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

Uses

Jarrah produces a dark, thick, tasty honey, but its wood is its main use. It is a heavy wood, with a specific gravity of 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. It 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.

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 and charcoal iron smelting operations at Wundowie from 1948 to 1981. Most of the best jarrah has been logged in southwestern Australia.

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 was M. C. Davies who had mills in the Augusta - Margaret River region of the southwest, and ports at Hamelin Bay and Flinders Bay.

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.

As of the banning of native logging in Western Australia in 2024, 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 make hot tubs.

''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.

Jarrah honey is a premium monofloral honey produced by bees that forage on the nectar of the jarrah tree. The honey has properties such as being anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory low and prebiotic. 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.

See also

* Warren bioregion
* Woodchipping in Australia

References

Further reading

* .
* Wrigley, John W. & Fagg, Murray. (2012). ''Eucalypts: a celebration''. Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.

External links

*

{{Taxonbar, from=Q140557

Trees of Australia
Drought-tolerant trees
Trees of Mediterranean climate
Eucalypts of Western Australia
Myrtales of Australia
marginata
Forests of Western Australia
Plants described in 1802
Endemic flora of Southwest Australia