MARRI
Marri (Corymbia calophylla) is an impressive forest tree with a solid trunk and dense canopy famed for its large gum nuts. It was previously classified as a Eucalyptus species but in 1995 was reclassified as Corymbia. However, some organisations don't recognise this and still ally it with the eucalypts. Marri is found throughout the Southwest region of WA co dominating within the Jarrah Forest. Marri also inhabit the Tuart Woodlands, karri forest and tingle forests over an area originally around 68500 km². It is still a common species, but large mature specimens are rare. Marri wasn't historically logged as intensively for timber as other WA species, but instead cleared to open up the land for agriculture or used for woodchips. Marri proved remarkably resilient to the usual logging methods, gelignite placed around the base and roots then ignited, was found to be effective at felling them! Some forest remnant trees have been left to provide shade for cattle, but many of these lone giants are succumbing to the elements faster than in a natural forest setting, along with cattle nibbling off the bark!
Marri wood is durable but tends to have structural faults which render it unsuitable for general construction. It is, however, becoming popular as a furniture timber with light, honey-coloured wood that gives it unique and attractive vein patterning. Marri produces high amounts of kino, a type of gum that bleeds out as a protective response to mechanical damage. The kino has been used for medicinal purposes by the local Noongar Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Also, kino contains tannin which was used to dye and preserve animal skins and was an important export from WA in the early 1900s.
Marri wood is durable but tends to have structural faults which render it unsuitable for general construction. It is, however, becoming popular as a furniture timber with light, honey-coloured wood that gives it unique and attractive vein patterning. Marri produces high amounts of kino, a type of gum that bleeds out as a protective response to mechanical damage. The kino has been used for medicinal purposes by the local Noongar Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Also, kino contains tannin which was used to dye and preserve animal skins and was an important export from WA in the early 1900s.
The above image shows typical marri, tessellated bark. The younger inner bark is brown to orange with older, outer bark a brown to grey colour. The bark is scaly, wavy, irregular in pattern, and also regular grid like in pattern all on the same tree! Also marri tend to have burls and kino present in more mature trees, making identification of giant trees easier than others of the Southwest. Marri has been aged to 350 years old and grows over a wide range of conditions, but can develop into giant trees in wetter conditions ideally with a rainfall between 1000-1500 mm annually. While marri can grow in poor sandy soil, it prefers laterite and alluvium soil. Marri grow in association with jarrah throughout its range, but tend to develop into giants in karri loam soil in the Warren ecoregion. Indeed the biggest marri are all found in karri country with the over half the twenty biggest marri found there. Marri, like all WA tree species except karri rarely exceed 50 m in height.
The fruit of marri called gum nuts or locally honky nuts are large and well protected. However, several birds have evolved to open the robust fruit to get to the seeds, such as the red-capped parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius) and three species of black cockatoos. These include the harmonic voice of the endangered Carnaby's black cockatoo (Zanda latirostris), and the critically endangered Baudin's black cockatoo (Zanda baudinii). The raucous sounding red-tailed black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus banksii) are more commonly seen munching away in marri forest, their bright red tails vividly contrasting with the duller forest colours. Old marri trees play critical ecological roles providing shade and nesting hollows for a wide range of animals, particularly WA's three species of large, black cockatoos. Their scaly bark also provides habitat for a variety of insect life which in turn attracts predators, such as Rosenberg's monitor (Varanus Rosenberg), although in Australia we call large lizards goannas. These large predators can also eat bird eggs, road kill and any smaller animal they come across.
Marri is often overlooked compared to its more famous WA tree cousins, even the forest in which it lives, is often just called the Jarrah Forest, when it co dominates. Over the years I have grown in fondness towards them. I think there's a good chance of coming across a few giant marri over 80 m³ in volume still, and I'll be lucky enough to find them!
Marri is often overlooked compared to its more famous WA tree cousins, even the forest in which it lives, is often just called the Jarrah Forest, when it co dominates. Over the years I have grown in fondness towards them. I think there's a good chance of coming across a few giant marri over 80 m³ in volume still, and I'll be lucky enough to find them!
I particularly like old weathered specimens due to their craggy, warty appearance and gnarl factor. These beasts are often partially burnt at the base with kino bleeding out from many unknown sources with multiple trunk burls. Often their bases are rarely buttressed, and their trunk barely tapers, even when limbs emerge, it's quite remarkable. They have heavy, arm like limbs reaching up and over then nearing the ground, like huge monster fingers from a fairy story. I have named some to match these characteristics!
HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS
I have not been able to find historic images of particularly large marri trees. I have come across a few large fallen marri over the years. There was a 3 m DBH marri 5 km south of Bunbury I kept planning to measure, until it fell and the farmer burnt it! It was close to 80 m³ in total volume in my rough estimation. I received some images of another fallen giant marri of similar proportions in 2021 from a farmers wife on their property. You can clearly see it on Google Maps! The biggest now downed or historical marri are in fact the ones I had found and were on my website, (or were going to be) but are now sadly fallen, or dead.
I have not been able to find historic images of particularly large marri trees. I have come across a few large fallen marri over the years. There was a 3 m DBH marri 5 km south of Bunbury I kept planning to measure, until it fell and the farmer burnt it! It was close to 80 m³ in total volume in my rough estimation. I received some images of another fallen giant marri of similar proportions in 2021 from a farmers wife on their property. You can clearly see it on Google Maps! The biggest now downed or historical marri are in fact the ones I had found and were on my website, (or were going to be) but are now sadly fallen, or dead.
This image of the Ogre is from 2013. It was an enormous marri I spied 11 km south of Pemberton off a main road in 2012. I later found its coordinates on the WA tree register listed as 2.1 m in DBH in 1988. It was hard to believe it put on over a metre of diameter in 20 years, unless it was a typo? I recorded a DBH of 3.3 m and 4.1 m at ZG in 2012, and a total volume of 112.8 m³. It was the first really large marri I saw and I realised they were probably the third biggest tree of the Southwest after karri and red tingle. What a shame it fell. Keelan, a fellow tree hunter could not find it from my coordinates in 2021, we suspected it had fallen and I found its huge trunk lying on the forest floor in 2023 with Rowan.
This image of the Balbarrup Marri is from 2021. It is located 13 km east of Manjimup. I was disappointed to find it had died a long time ago when I went to measure it in 2021, it would have made top ten if it was alive for sure. With a DBH of 2.6 m with no bark, and an estimated volume at 10 m of 46.6 m³, it had a potential restored total volume of 84.3 m³. This is going with my 10 m to total volume ratio of 1:1.81 for marri. This tree may have been a bit larger as my estimates, while generous don't fully account for bark which probably adds another 5 cm in diameter.
This image of Troll is from 2013. Found within the Hawke Grove it was 2.6 m in DBH and 83.2 m³ in total volume. It only had a 10 m tall trunk but several massive limbs that resembled the troll toys spiky hair! I unfortunately found it lying on the forest floor when I ventured in to update the website with better images in 2023.
This image of the Creeper is from 2012. I found this marri just off Larkin Road, 2 km from the Hawke Grove. It was 2.6 m in DBH and 80.2 m³ in total volume. It had a very slow tapering 18 m tall leaning trunk, and hardly any limbs. When I found it on the forest floor in 2023, it had a very healthy layer of moss and leaf litter scattered on top, so I estimate it had fallen, a few years back.
TOP TEN MARRI
TOP TEN MARRI
