jarrah

Eucalyptus marginata is one of the most common species of Eucalyptus tree in the southwest of Western Australia. The tree and the wood are usually referred to by the Aboriginal name Jarrah. Because of the similar appearance of worked jarrah timber to the Honduras mahogany tree, jarrah was once called Swan River mahogany after the river system that runs through Perth. Jarrah trees are unusual in that they have a lignotuber, a large underground swelling which stores carbohydrates and allows young trees to regenerate after a fire. Because they are deep-rooted, as much as 40 metres (130 ft), jarrah are drought resistant and able to draw water from great depths during dry periods. The tree grows up to 40 metres (130 ft) high with a trunk up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in diameter, and has rough, greyish-brown, vertically grooved, fibrous bark which sheds in long flat strips.