mallee
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmæli/
Forms: form: mallees
Etymology: Probably borrowed from Wemba-Wemba mali; compare Woiwurrung mali.
Senses: examples: text: The ecology of much Western Australian mallee is poorly understood, so only a few general points can be made here. Mallee dominated by eucalypts including Eucalyptus redunca and E. eremophilia is mapped as widespread (Beard, 1975) on areas of brown calcareous earths north of Esperance (Northcote et al., 1967).
ref: 1994, R. F. Parsons, “Eucalyptus Scrubs and Shrublands”, in R. H. Groves, editor, Australian Vegetation, 2nd edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 301:
text: Large areas of mallee shrublands are now either reserved specifically for biodiversity conservation or else managed sympathetically. Fire is a prominent feature of the semi-arid lands in general and the mallee shrublands in particular.
ref: 2002, Ross A. Bradstock, Janet S. Cohn, “Fire Regimes and Biodiversity in Semi-arid Mallee Ecosystems”, in Ross A. Bradstock, Jann E. Williams, A. Malcolm Gill, editors, Flammable Australia: The Fire Regimes and Biodiversity of a Continent, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 238, column 2:
glosses: A type of scrubland with low-growing thick eucalypts, characteristic of certain parts of Australia.
examples: text: Although not totally destitute of animal life, in the summer season very few living creatures, beyond innumerable tribes of insects, are to be found within the Mallee.
ref: 1867 December, A. M., “Lost in the Mallee”, in The Colonial Monthly; an Australian Magazine, volume I (New Series), number 4, Melbourne, Vic.: Clarson, Massina, & Co., […]; Sydney: Gibbs, Shallard, & Co., published 1868, →OCLC, page 305:
text: 'They're going to lynch you, Regerson,' Harry told him, grinning. 'You'd better take to the mallee before they come for you.'
ref: 1958, E. O. Schlunke, The Village Hampden: Stories, Sydney, N.S.W.: Angus & Robertson, →OCLC:
text: It made no difference that he had also invented several ploughs and a device for grubbing Mallee country or that people had journeyed all the way from Melbourne to inspect them.
ref: 1985, Peter Carey, chapter 4, in Illywhacker, London: Faber and Faber, published 2003, →ISBN, page 365:
glosses: Any semi-desert region of Australia where such scrub is the predominant vegetation.
examples: text: An immense tract of country in this district is entirely occupied by a "scrub," as it is called in Colonial language, consisting of the mallee plant, Eucalyptus dumosa, the leaves of which at certain seasons become covered with this species of manna, which is known to the natives by the name of Lerp, the l being pronounced like the Italian gl.
ref: 1851 January, Thomas Anderson, “On a New Species of Manna from New South Wales. [...] (From the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal for July, 1849.)”, in Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land, volume I, part III, [Hobart], Tasmania: [Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land]; sold by Walch & Son, […]; Henry Dowling, […], →OCLC, pages 242–243:
text: The water-yielding Eucalyptus is one of the many species which pass under the name of Eucalyptus Dumosa, extending from the desert tributaries of the Murray, westward, as far as Swan River, constituting those almost impenetrable scrubs called Malleè.
ref: 1859, John Cairns, “Art. V.—On the Weir Malleè, a Water-yielding Tree, the Bulrush, and Porcupine Grass of Australia. … [Read before the Institute, 16th June, 1858.]”, in John Macadam, editor, Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria, volume III, Melbourne, Vic.: Philosophical Institute of Victoria, →OCLC, page 32:
text: From the mallee and kurrajong trees came a rowdy chatter of parakeets, while queer soughing of air-currents came from the valley top.
ref: 1931, Ion L. Idriess, Lasseter's Last Ride, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 187:
text: It was almost dark by the time we reached a small rocky hill, its boulders bursting with the white plumes of spinifex in flower, and a black fuzz of leafless mallee bush.
ref: 1987, Bruce Chatwin, The Songlines, Vintage, published 1998, page 104:
glosses: Any of several low-growing eucalypts characteristic of such scrubland, especially Eucalyptus dumosa, Eucalyptus oleosa, and Eucalyptus socialis.
examples: text: [page 1-4, section 1.3] Of the many variations in form of the Eucalyptus (shrubs, mallees, trees, etc.), virtually all species being tested in the above category are those which exhibit good tree form (e.g., height, straightness of trunk, etc.). […] [page 2-1, section 2.2] Shrubby eucalypts are usually referred to as "mallees" although the term strictly applies to those species which have many stems growing from an enlarged rootstock (lignotuber).
ref: 1978 June, Eliseo O. Mariani; Warren A. Wood; Paul C. Kouchoukos; Mary Beth Minton; Marelco, Inc., “Introduction” and “The Eucalypts”, in The Eucalyptus Energy Farm: Feasibility Study and Demonstration: Phase 1: Site and Species Selection (HCP/T2557-01), Washington, D.C.: Division of Solar Technology, Office of Energy Technology, United States Department of Energy, →OCLC, pages 1-4 and 2-1:
text: Eucalypts with a mallee growth form can also be found in areas wetter than those already considered and where single-stemmed eucalypts predominate. This occurs in a variety of unfavourable habitats, either by normally single-stemmed eucalypts assuming a mallee habit (e.g., E. baxteri) or by the occurrence of distinct wet-country mallees of restricted distribution specific to such habitats.
ref: 1994, R. F. Parsons, “Eucalyptus Scrubs and Shrublands”, in R. H. Groves, editor, Australian Vegetation, 2nd edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 292:
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
glosses: The growth habit of certain eucalypt species that grow with multiple stems springing from an underground lignotuber, shared by species of related genera.
Derived terms: word: mallee bird
word: mallee fowl
taxonomic: Leipoa ocellata
word: malleefowl
word: mallee hen
alt: Australian ringneck; Barnardius zonarius
word: mallee ringneck
word: mallee roller
word: mallee soil
word: narrow-leaved mallee