Mountain marri or lesser bloodwood is like a small, often crooked, version of marri, reaching around 10 m in height. It exudes the same dark red gum from the trunk and has similar leaves, flowers and bark, while the fruits are smaller and rounder, harbouring reddish-brown seeds. It grows on the Darling scarp, mainly in the extreme south of the metropolitan area, and in the Whicher Range near Busselton. The species name comes from the Greek haimatos “blood” and xylon “wood”, referring to its red timber. Flowering occurs in summer.
Mountain marri also grows as a mallee, 2-3 m tall, in Lesueur National Park, north of Perth, inland from Jurien Bay. Here it has been described as a separate species, Corymbia chlorolampra. Chloros “green” and lampros “bright” refer to its glossy green leaves.
Ref:
“Leaf and branch: trees and tall shrubs of Perth” by Robert Powell. Published by the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation, 2009.
Florabase website: florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au, Dec 2022.
Euclid: Eucalypts of Australia Edition 4 2015. www.lucidcentral.org
“Eucalypts of Western Australia. The south-west coast and ranges.” Second edition. By Malcolm French and Dean Nicolle. 2024.
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Lesueur National Park signage. 2024.