Mullewa mallee Eucalyptus kochii subsp. borealis
E. kochii is a mallee tree growing up to 12 m high. Its bark is smooth and light grey light grey over red-brown.
A mallee is a small (usually less than 10m) Eucalyptus tree often found in semi arid areas, which is a similar habitat to the mallets. A mallet different from a mallee in that a mallet forms a single narrow stem or trunk whereas a mallee forms multi stems.
The trees form what is called a lignotuber. This is a woody swelling at the base of the tree below or just above the ground. It contains ‘adventitious’ buds i.e. new buds normally appear much higher in the tree but these ones are a useful adaption that allow the tree to develop new shoots if the top of the plant is breaks off or is burnt.
It’s endemic to Western Australia, and naturally found from Kalbarri National Park to just south of Morawa, Western Australia (see map opposite) usually on sandy soil. Mullewa is at the centre of its range.
The name kochii drives from Max Koch (1854–1925) who found the plant on the rabbit proof fence (date unknown) Max was a farmer and sawmiller.
The species was first formally described in 1929 by the botanists Joseph Maiden and William Blakely in “Maiden's book, A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus”.
The tree was planted in the Park in 2000.
Sources
Western Australian Herbarium Florabase
https://florabase.dbca.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/20303
Flora of Australia lining atlas - https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Eucalyptus%20kochii%20subsp.%20borealis
Gardner, C. A. (1987). Eucalypts of Western Australia. Perth, Western Australia, Western Australian Herbarium, Department of Agriculture.
EUCLID - Eucalypts of Australia Forth Edition (2020) - https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/text/entities/eucalyptus_kochii_subsp._borealis.htm
EUCLID https://apps.lucidcentral.org/euclid/pdf/entities/eucalyptus_kochii_subsp._borealis.pdf
Eucalyptus kochii subsp. borealis in the Park