CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME DRY AREA EUCALYPTS AND OTHER SPECIES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

P. C. Richmond
Officer-in-Charge
Forests Department
Kalgoorlie
Western Australia

The wealth of species of eucalypt is sometimes an embarrassment to the forester who wishes to introduce likely species to his own country especially in arid zones. Even if climatic matching data are good enough to identify a species which will survive, it is necessary to know what end use could be supplied by successful introduction of a new eucalypt which might not be supplied equally well by an indigenous tree or shrub.

The following table indicates the characteristics of a number of eucalypts and of some other species which occur in the Kalgoorlie district of Western Australia, roughly between longitudes 120° and 125° E and between latitude 26° S and the south coast. Climatically this area may be divided into arid (less than 10" or 250 mm rainfall a year) in the north, semi-arid (10–15" or 250 – 375 mm) in the south and coastal (15–30" or 375 – 750 mm) within about 20 miles (32 km) of the south coast. No months are completely dry. At the coast nearly half of the rainfall falls in the three winter months, June to August. As one goes north, an increasing proportion of the rain occurs in summer and autumn, while the spring months September – November are the driest.

The following explanatory notes refer to the columns in the table:

Column 2 refers to: W.F. Blakely, 1955. A Key to the Eucalypts. Forestry and Timber Bureau, Canberra. Second Edition.
Column 3. Timber size is considered as over 8" (20 cm) diameter at the top of the bole.

It generally refers only to size and does not necessarily imply that the wood of these species is actually suitable for sawing. Eucalyptus salmonophloia is used as sawn timber underground in the mining industry, but not as building timber. All the other species mentioned are used in the round.

Column 4. Suitable size for poles is considered as over 3" (7.5 cm) diameter at the top of the bole.
Column 7. A Mallee is a dwarf eucalypt with a number of relatively slender stems arising from woody rootstock arising from lignotubers. Mallees are characteristic of arid zones.
Column 11. A(Arid) = less than 10" (250 mm), SA (Semi-arid) = 10–15" (250–375 mm), C (Coastal) = 15–30" (375–750 mm) annual rainfall.
Column 12. H (Heavy) = predominantly clay, M (Medium) = predominantly loam, L (Light) = predominantly sand.

TABLE OF CHARACTERISTICS

(Eucalypts and other species)

Species	Blakely's No.	Suitable size for timber	Suitable size and form for poles	Firewood	Form		Amenity		Seed Availability	Zone	Soil Type
Species	Blakely's No.	Suitable size for timber	Suitable size and form for poles	Firewood	Tree	Generally Mallee	Shade or Avenue	Ornamental	Prolific Fair Scarce	Arid Semi-Arid Coastal	Heavy Medium Light
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Eucalyptus angulosa var. ceratocorys	161					x			F	A
E. anceps	140					x			F	SA
E. annulata	102					x			P	SA
E. brockwayi	484a	x	x	x	x				P	A	M
E. calycogona	561			x	x	x	x	x	P	A	H
E. campaspe	90			x	x		x	x	P	A	H
E. celastroides	563			x		x			P	A
E. clelandii	156	x	x	x	x		x		P	A	M
E. conglobata	139					x			S	C
E. corrugata	155			x	x	x			F	A
E. cylindriflora	170					x			F	SA
E. dielsii	172					x			S	SA
E. diptera	138			x	x	x			P	SA
E. diversifolia	297					x			S	C
E. dumosa	141		x	x	x						M
E. dundasii	134	x	x	x	x		x		F	SA	M
E. ebbanoensis	5					x			P	A
E. eremophila	105					x	x	x	F	A	L
E. erythronema	171					x	x	x	F	A	M
E. ewartiana	591					x			F	A
E. flocktoniae	584		x	x	x		x		P	SA	M
E. forrestiana	596					x		x	P	SA	H
E. gongylocarpa	4a				x		x		F	A
E. gracilis	564			x		x			P	A
E. gracilis var. yilgarnensis	564?		x	x	x		x		S	SA	M *
E. griffithsii	92			x		x			P	A
E. grossa	94					x			P	SA
E. jutsonii	569					x			F	A
E. kingsmillii	605					x			F	A	L
E. kruseana	243					x			S	A
E. leptophylla	442			x	x	x			F	A
E. leptopoda	592					x			F	A
E. le soueffii	157	x	x	x	x		x		F	A	M
E. longicornis	577	x	x	x	x		x		F	SA	H
E. loxophleba	129			x	x	x			F	A
E. melanoxylon	205	x	x	x	x		x		S	SA	H
E. oldfieldii	597					x			F	A
E. oleosa var. kochii	570				x		x		P	A
E. oleosa var. obtusa	580a			x	x	x			P	A
E. oleosa var. plenissima	580c				x				P	SA
E. pterocarpa					x			x	F	SA	H
E. redunca	115			x	x	x	x			SA
E. salmonophlcia	593	x	x	x	x		x		P	A	H
E. salubris	594		x	x	x		x		P	A	H
E. salubris var. glauca	595			x	x			x	P	A	H
E. stricklandii	91			x	x			x	P	A	H
E. tetragona	2					x			F	C
E. tertraptera	15					x			F	C
E. torquata	159			x	x		x	x	P	A	M
E. transcontinentalis	581	x	x	x	x		x	x	P	A	M
E. websteriana	588					x			S	A
E. woodwardii	89			x	x			x	F	A	M
E. youngiana						x			F	A
Other Species
Acacia aneura	-		x	x	x				F	A	M
Brachychiton gregorii	-				x		x		S	A
Casuarina cristata	-		x	x					S	A
Causarina huegeliana	-				x		x		P	A
Casuarina dielsiana	-				x				P	A
Pittosporum phylliraeoides	-				x		x	x	F	A

* E. gracilis var. yilgarnensis is also tolerant of saline sites.

To sum up, of the species listed above, the ones which merit priority when introducing new species into dry areas for the production of fuel, poles and shelter, are those indicated as reaching 8 inch (20 cm) diameter at timber height, of tree form, and suitable for poles and firewood. These are Eucalyptus brockwayi, E. dundasii, E. longicornis and E. melanoxylon for semi-arid areas, and E. brockwayi, E. clelandii, E. soueffii, E. salmonophloia and E. transcontinentalis for arid areas.

Ornamentals which should survive very well include Eucalyptus forrestiana and E. pterocarpa for semi-arid areas, Eucalyptus kingsmillii, E. torquata, E. woodwardii and Pittosporum phylliraeoides for arid areas and, for either area, Eucalyptus calycogona, E. campaspe, E. eremophila, E. erythronema, E. salubris var. glauca and E. stricklandii.