This page provides generic information that are common to several trees.

Lignotuber

A lignotuber 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. below is an example of ‘adventitious’ buds from a tree stump after is was cut down for commercial purposes.

Mallee vs mallet

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 is different from a mallee in that a mallet forms a single narrow stem or trunk whereas a mallee forms multi stems.

Unlike mallees, mallets rarely form a lignotuber.

The photos below are example off each, with a mallee on the left and a mallet on the right