Can someone please help

[dot smith]

On Sunday 15th October 2006 I was listening to Macca on Australia allover and a lady told an interesting story about a Mallee Tree comparing it with life in general e.g. how it regenerates if need be and if it wants to be around other trees it sends out tree roots.
My question is has anyone written a poem about a Mallee Tree?
I was just really interested in what this lady had to say about the tree so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Dot Smith

[Ric Raftis]

G'day Dot,

I would be interested to know what a "Mallee Tree" actually is.  I live on the edge of the Mallee and the best I can come up with is the blue eucalyptus that is cut for the making of eucy oil.  There are several eucy stills in the area to this day.  The "tree" is grown to around 3 feet high and then harvested almost like hay into what would be similar to a round baler.  Steam is then pumped into the "baler" to separate the oil from the leaves.  The trees certainly regenerate and are usually ready to cut again in about 2 or 3 years.

Regards,


Ric

[r. magnay]

G'day Ric,
Don't quote me but I believe the definition of a mallee tree is, as we know a eucalytus, but one that has multiple trunks growing from one stump as opposed to the gum trees which have a single trunk and then branch out from that, I believe the 'stump' as the main part of the root structure plays a part in the definition, because as we know, a damaged gumtree will send out multiple trunks from it's common trunk if cut or burnt back hard enough, but that doesn't qualify it as a mallee. I read something along these lines somewhere recently but I am not sure where.

[Ric Raftis]

G'day Ross,

That's exactly what the blue eucy is like.  In its natural state it grows to around 8 to 10 feet high with a thin trunk and scraggy bark.  But once it's cut it regrows as a bush or shrub in exactly the manner you describe.  I'll see if I can get some pics.  There's acres of the stuff around here.

[Babe]

You got me thinking so I went looking...


From http://www.wadidge.com.au/mallee.html

Mallee (an Aboriginal word) is a growth-form rather than a particular specie, that is, a Eucalypt having many stems arising from a large, underground, woody swelling composed of stem tissue called a lignotuber. The lignotubers are large, woody, convoluted swellings often 0.3-0.6 m in diameter and sometimes up to 1.5 m. The largest recorded is 10 m across, which carried 301 living stems, in Mulette, 1978. Mallee is also widely used to describe the plant communities and regions where these plants predominate.

The Mallee growth-habit can occur in response to a variety of stress conditions, the major stresses involved are shortages of water, fires, termites or felling.

[r. magnay]

When I was much younger, we lived in an area which was predominately mallee country, and Dad, my brother and me spent many days, weeks years clearing country of mallee stumps..................they can create their own bloody stress too let me tell you!!