The Marri Tree.

Kingdom: Plants

Family: Myrataceae

Corymbia calophylla Marri

The Forest Heritage Centre in Dwellingup is situated amongst the South West Australia Forest and the the Marri species is our one of our local Australian gum trees. This large Eucalyptus tree grows to a height of about 40 metres and this widespread species can grow readily in our poorer soils.

We offer guided tours at the Forest Heritage Centre, Dwellingup, and part of the tour is to recognise the difference between the Marri and Jarrah trees. The Marri has a condensed fish scale like looking bark and large gum nuts whereas the Jarrah has a long skinny bark and small ‘honkey nuts’.

Flowering Marri are a beautiful sight with their yellow cream coloured flowers,the golden honey produced by bees from these flowers has a wonderful mellow taste.

The wood of the Marri is used quite a lot in Furniture Making and has a golden glow, to this light coloured wood.

West Australia has Guitar makers that utilise this wood for their impressive instruments, West Australian Ellis Guitars make some of the best quality instruments in the world and some of these are used by renowned artists including Jeff Martin to Blues singer songwriter Ash Grunwald,(who plays a mean Ellis Stompbox, by the way!).

Artists are inspired by the Marri, its flowers nuts and fruits, and one architectural designed grates featured at Karrakatta Cementary, Perth Western Australia, uses interpretations of the Marri’s gum nuts and flowers.

The local aboriginal Noongyar tribe used the red gum of the Marri Tree for medicinal purposes including helping with tummy upsets and various aches and pains.

An old Bushmans Tale quotes that if the Marri (Redgum) flowers profusely then Western Australia is in for a good winter e.g. cold, rainy, windy, icy, stormy, winter.

No related posts.