Mallee are trees or shrubs, mainly certain species ofeucalypts, which grow with multiple stems springing from an undergroundlignotuber orxylopodium, usually to a height of no more than 10 m (33 ft). The term is widely used for trees with thisgrowth habit across southern Australia, in the states ofWestern Australia,South Australia,New South Wales andVictoria, and has given rise to other uses of the term, including theecosystems where such trees predominate, specific geographic areas within some of the states and as part of various species' names.
The word is thought to originate from the wordmali, meaning water, in theWemba Wemba language,[1] anAboriginal Australian language of southern New South Wales and Victoria.[2] The word is also used in the closely relatedWoiwurrung language and other Aboriginal languages of Victoria, South Australia, and southern New South Wales.[3]
The termmallee is used describe various species oftrees orwoody plants, mainly of thegenusEucalyptus, which grow with multiple stems springing from an undergroundbulbous woody structure called a lignotuber, or mallee root,[4] usually to a height of no more than 10 m (33 ft). The term is widely used for trees with this across southern Australia,[5] across the states of Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.[1] The term is also applied to other eucalypts with a similar growth habit,[2] in particular those in the closely related generaCorymbia andAngophora.
Some of the species grow as single-stemmed trees initially, but recover in mallee form if burnt to the ground bybushfire.[6]
Over 50 per cent of eucalypt species are mallees, and they are mostly slow-growing and tough. The lignotuber enables the plant to regenerate after fire, wind damage or other type of trauma.[4]
Mallees are the dominant vegetation throughoutsemi-arid areas ofAustralia with reliable winter rainfall. Within this area, they form extensivewoodlands and shrublands covering over 250,000 km2 (97,000 sq mi) in New South Wales, north-western Victoria, southern South Australia and southern Western Australia, with the greatest extent being in South Australia (118,531 square kilometres (45,765 sq mi)).[6]
There are also some species found in theNorthern Territory, namelyEucalyptus gamophylla (blue mallee),Eucalyptus pachycarpa andEucalyptus setosa.[6]
Grubbing the land of mallee stumps foragricultural purposes was difficult for early settler farmers, as the land could not be easilyploughed andsown even after the trees were removed. In thecolony of South Australia in the late 19th century,legislation which encouraged closer settlement made it even tougher for farmers to make a living.[7]
Grubbing the mallee lands was a laborious and expensive task estimated at £2–7 per acre,[8] and the government offered a £200 reward for the invention of an effective machine that would remove the stumps.[9] To assist with the challenges of farming on mallee lands, some settlers turned their minds to the invention of technologies that could make some of the tasks easier. First thescrub or mallee roller was invented, which flattened the stumps and other vegetation, after which it would all be burnt and crops sown.[10] The technique became known as "mullenising", as the invention of the device was attributed to a farmer called Mullen.[11]
A few years later thestump jump plough was invented on theYorke Peninsula byRichard Bowyer Smith and perfected by his brother,Clarence Herbert Smith. This machine had individually movableploughshares, enabling the whole plough to move over stumps rather than having to steer around them, and proved a great success.[12][13]
The term is applied to both the tree itself and the whole plant community in which it predominates,[1] giving rise to the classification ofmallee woodlands and shrublands as one of Australia'smajor vegetation groups.[6]
Several common names of eucalypt species have "mallee" in them, such as theBlue Mountains mallee (Eucalyptus stricta) andblue mallee (E. gamophylla andE. polybractea).
The term is used in the phrasestrong as a mallee bull, and iscolloquially used is for any remote or isolated area, or as asynonym foroutback.[2]
Widespread mallee species include:[6]
The following four Western Australian species can be found in theWaite Arboretum inAdelaide, and are suitable for gardens:[4]