| Jarrah | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific 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 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Eucalyptus marginata, commonly known asjarrah,[5]djarraly inNoongar language[6][7] and historically asSwan River mahogany,[8] is a plant in themyrtlefamily,Myrtaceae and isendemic to thesouth-west ofWestern 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.
Jarrah is a tree which sometimes grows to a height of up to 50 m (160 ft) with aDBH 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 smallmallee to 3 m (9.8 ft) high.[9] Older specimens have alignotuber and roots that extend down as far as 40 m (100 ft). It is astringybark 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 inumbels 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 whitestamens 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.[10][11][12][13][14]
Eucalyptus marginata was first formallydescribed in 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 Jackson and noted a resemblance to bothEucalyptus robusta andE. pilularis.[15][16] Thespecific epithet (marginata) is aLatin word meaning "furnished with a border".[17] Smith did not provide anetymology for the epithet but did note that, compared toE. robusta "the margin [of the leaves] is more thickened".[16]
Eucalyptus marginata occurs in the south-west corner of Western Australia, generally where the rainfallisohyet exceeds 600 mm (20 in). It is found inland as far asMooliabeenee,Clackline andNarrogin and in the south as far east as theStirling Range. Its northern limit is Mount Peron nearJurien Bay but there are alsooutliers atKulin and Tutanning in thePingelly Shire. The plant often takes the form of amallee in places likeMount 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 fromironstone and is generally found within its range, wherever ironstone is present.[10][18][19]
Thejarrah 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).[20]
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.[21]
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).[22][23]
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 Plain and further north, and also to a different habitat of the lateriticDarling Scarp.[24]
Jarrah is very vulnerable to dieback caused by theoomycetePhytophthora cinnamomi. In large sections of theDarling 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.[25]
Eucalyptus marginata was added to theIUCN Red List as a "near threatened" species in 2019.[1]
Jarrah produces a dark, thick, tasty honey, but its wood is its main use. It is a heavy wood, with aspecific 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.[26] 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][10]
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 iron smelting operations atWundowie from 1948 to 1981.[27] 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. Davies who had mills in the Augusta - Margaret River region of the southwest, and ports atHamelin Bay andFlinders Bay.
The local poetDryblower Murphy wrote a poem, "Comeanavajarrah" that was published inThe Sunday Times of May 1904, about the potential to extract alcohol from jarrah timber.[28]
As of the banning of native logging in Western Australia in 2024,[29] 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 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.[30]
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 lowGI[clarify] and prebiotic.[citation needed] 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.[31]
