#jarrah

jarrah tree blossoms

AKA djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany. First formally described in 1802 by James Edward Smith, whose description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, that he founded. Smith did not provide an etymology for the specific epithet but did note that, compared to E. robusta "the margin [of the leaves] is more thickened".

Another WA endemic, growing where rainfall exceeds 600ml a year, living for 400 years and reaching heights of 50m and depths of 40. Jarrah forest at the time of European settlement is estimated to have been 2.8 million hectares, and is home to spectacular species diversity. Almost half of our Jarrah forests have been cleared since colonisation. It's also very vulnerable to dieback caused by the oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi.

Occasional grows as a mallee at the extremes of its range but usually has a single trunk growing from the lignotuber. Mass flowering occurs on a four to six year cycle, with most trees in an area flowering at the same time.