About Eucalyptus jacksonii Maiden
Eucalyptus jacksonii Maiden, commonly known as red tingle, is a tree that typically grows 8 to 45 metres (26 to 148 ft) tall, and has thick, rough, stringy, furrowed grey-brown or red-brown bark. The bases of very old, heavily buttressed red tingle trees can reach a circumference of up to 24 metres (79 ft). While some sources estimate red tingle can reach heights of up to 75 metres (246 ft), the tallest known living individual measures 52 m (171 ft) tall. The tree forms a dense, compact crown that creates a heavy canopy. Young plants and coppice regrowth have broadly egg-shaped leaves that are dark green on the upper surface and paler below, measuring 120–170 mm (4.7–6.7 in) long and 60–100 mm (2.4–3.9 in) wide. Adult leaves are arranged alternately, dark green on the upper surface, paler below, and range from egg-shaped to lance-shaped. They measure 60–95 mm (2.4–3.7 in) long and 12–25 mm (0.47–0.98 in) wide, and grow on a petiole 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long. Flower buds grow in groups of seven in leaf axils, on an unbranched peduncle 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long, with individual buds attached to pedicels 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long. Mature buds are elongated oval, 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide, with a conical operculum. Flowering takes place between January and March, and the flowers are white. The fruit is a woody capsule ranging from shortened spherical to barrel-shaped, 8–11 mm (0.31–0.43 in) long and 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) wide. It grows on a pedicel 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) long, and its valves are enclosed below the level of the capsule rim. Red tingle trees often have shallow root systems and develop a buttressed base. The heartwood is deep pink to reddish brown, with a green-wood density of around 960 kg/m3 (1,620 lb/cu yd), and an air-dried density of around 770 kg/m3 (1,300 lb/cu yd). A specimen known as the "Giant Tingle Tree" is a tourist attraction in Walpole-Nornalup National Park near Walpole. Its base has been hollowed by fire, and it is claimed to have the largest girth of any living eucalypt. Red tingle is often compared to two related local tingle species: yellow tingle (Eucalyptus guilfoylei) and Rate's tingle (Eucalyptus brevistylis), both of which grow smaller than red tingle. Red tingle is more closely related to Rate's tingle, and both belong to the subgenus Eucalyptus. While E. jacksonii is typically recorded to live 70 years, both red tingle and Rate's tingle can live up to 400 years. The species' distribution has shrunk due to climate change and land clearing. It is now found primarily in Walpole-Nornalup National Park, and in a small number of isolated sites outside the park in the Walpole area, at the junction of the South West and Great Southern regions along the south coast of Western Australia. It grows on hillsides and in gullies in loamy soils. Red tingle trees often grow alongside Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah), Eucalyptus diversicolor (karri), and Corymbia calophylla (marri). They can also grow alongside Eucalyptus guilfoylei (yellow tingle) and Eucalyptus brevistylis (Rate's tingle), and are the dominant species in the stands where they occur. Red tingle is counted as one of the six forest giants native to Western Australia; the other five are Corymbia calophylla (marri), Eucalyptus diversicolor (karri), Eucalyptus gomphocephala (tuart), Eucalyptus marginata (jarrah), and Eucalyptus patens (yarri). In 2019, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed Eucalyptus jacksonii as near threatened. There are an estimated 22,200 to 42,000 mature individuals. The species has an estimated area of occupancy of 112 km2 (43 sq mi) and an estimated extent of occurrence of 445 km2 (172 sq mi). Its overall population is stable, but it is severely fragmented.
