Mallee Heath

Mallee Heath develops on deep siliceous sands associated with relatively recent dune formation in areas receiving less than 350 mm per annum. Organic matter is low and soil structure is poor and subject to drought stress. In the Wimmera CMA, mallee heath is confined entirely to the Little Desert. The structure is variable although the overstorey where present is usually dominated by Mallee-form trees such as Yellow Mallee Eucalyptus incrassata, Slender-leaf Mallee E. leptophylla, Dumosa Mallee E. dumosa and Desert Stringybark Eucalyptus arenacea that are low in height. The understorey is dominated by heathy shrubs like Desert Banksia Banksia ornata, Green Tea-tree Leptospermum coriaceum, Scrub Sheoke Allocasuarina paludosa, Baeckias Baeckia spp., Scrub Cypress Pine Callitris verrucosa and Myrtles Calytrix spp. with few if any grasses except for Common Porcupine Grass Triodia scariosa. Large, contiguous and high quality examples of this vegetation type occur throughout the Little Desert National Park. EVCs: Dune-crest Tea-tree Heath Sandplain Heath Tea-tree Scrub Mallee Heath Shallow Sand Mallee-Heath Loamy Sand Mallee Scrub-pine Woodland. Back to Vegetation Resources

Mallee Eucalyptus dumosa Photograph is the property of Viridans Biological Databases (external link) Yellow Mallee Eucalyptus incrassata Photograph is the property of Viridans Biological Databases (external link) Green Tea-tree Leptospermum coriaceum Photograph is the property of Viridans Biological Databases (external link)

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