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MALLEE

Eucalyptus spp.
Eucalyptus spp. of the family Myrtaceae, including about 200 different species that have word mallee as all or part of one or more of their common names --- I have no idea which of them are represented on this page, but they appear to all be native to Australia. These species taken together share at least some 300 different common names, which, combined with the variety of 200+ species, means that this term translates into English as approximately "yeah, it's some kind of Australian wood, all right". Even the commonly listed varieties such as "red", "white", and so forth, have numberous species of the genus Eucalyptus that use those names.

According to several reports, mallee is "scrubland vegatation" (I take this to mean "bush") that is common in many parts of Australia. Among other things, it produces a useful oil. I have seen mention of trees and lumber but it appears to be sold almost exclusively as a burl, very probably because the small size of the bush/tree prohibits lumber production and also it could be that even turning stock of the non-burl portions would not be particularly interesting, whereas the burl, as you can see below, is quite attractive.

my samples: NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K) colors will vary under other lighting conditions

both sides of a sample plank of bull mallee burl / Eucalyptus behriana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

web pics:

plank just listed as mallee


brown mallee burl


brown mallee pen blanks that have been oiled and waxed


red mallee burl pen blanks


red mallee burls


both sides of a red mallee burl cap


both sides of a pair of mallee burl caps


red mallee burl turning stock


red mallee scales


brown mallee burl thin bowl blank


brown mallee burl raw and then sliced and finished


brown mallee burl slabs


brown mallee burl turning stock


brown mallee burl pen blanks


one of these was specified as red mallee and the other was just mallee, but they seem to be at the very least a color variation of red mallee.


red mallee burl knife handle


red mallee knife handle


bowl made from "fruited" mallee


bowl made from brown mallee burl


brown mallee platter and closeup


bowls listed as brown mallee burl


brown mallee burl wall hanging


brown mallee hollow form


brown mallee burl bowl shot at a craft show --- HUGE enlargements are present


mallee burl bowl raw and then finished


bowls from red mallee burl


hollow forms listed as gummy red mallee burl --- for the 2nd one, enormous enlargements are present


red mallee burl bowl shot at a woodworking show. HUGE enlargements are present.


platter from red mallee burl


hollow form listed as horistes mallee / Eucalyptus socialis, which according to my information cannot be correct. That is, horistes mallee is NOT Ecualyptus socialis (which is "gray mallee"), it is Eucalyptus horistes


brown mallee bowls by Bryan Nelson (NelsonWood). Bryan fine-polishes his bowls with 1200 or even higher grit sandpaper while they are spinning at high speed on the lathe and then finishes them there with a friction polish of his own devising, thus achieving a shine and color vibrancy that is beautiful to behold.


red mallee bowls by Bryan Nelson (NelsonWood). Bryan fine-polishes his bowls with 1200 or even higher grit sandpaper while they are spinning at high speed on the lathe and then finishes them there with a friction polish of his own devising, thus achieving a shine and color vibrancy that is beautiful to behold.


two views of a yellow mallee burl hollow form