Deep South WA, Feb ‘25 (#2 in series: Harewood Forest walk)

Harewood Forest is definitely not “virgin”.

Until well into the 19th century it was a pristine, very tall, Karri-dominant forest

By circa 1900 no grand trees remained; all millable timber had been “mined”.

Happily, however, the forest has regrown well.

Magnificent as are southwest WA’s tall trees – all, WA-endemic –  they far are from their forests’ only “WA-only”, wonderful/wondrous-strange plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leucopogon verticillatus, commonly known as tassel flower,^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceaeand is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It is an erect, bamboo-like shrub with broadly lance-shaped leaves and pink, tube-shaped flowers crowded along spikes in leaf axils and on the ends of branches.

The flowers on this “tassel flower” are really striking, but not in February; they bloom in Spring.

Leucopogon verticillatus stands tall – up to four metres.

It is WA’s tallest heath, and the biggest Australian member of its genus; most of the circa 160 Leucopogon species are Australia-endemic, and the majority call southwest WA “home”, exclusively.

(the italicised description of this species is from its Wikipedia entry. Click here for a more vivid one, courtesy of Tim Entwistle, aka “the sceptical botanist”)

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A healthy 100 year-old Karri tree is relatively young, and much more slender than one which is two or three centuries older.

However, at age 100, the “youngster” is probably within a few metres of its full height.

Even by Eucalypt standards, Karris are prodigious shedders and renewers of their “skin”.

In winter, much of the trunk is likely to have an almost-uniform, grey appearance.

In late summer and early autumn Karri trunks are usually beautifully vari-coloured…and a whole lot of old bark rains down; one can often hear it doing so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the above photo, the tree on the left is thriving, whilst the other is probably “kaput”..but not in fact useless. Look carefully, and you can see that lichens like living thereon.

Harewood Forest Walk is adjacent to Scottsdale Road, and is just 12 kilometres distant from Denmark.

The walking is easy, and a recent extension/upgrade (completed in early 2023, I think) has made the “Walk” about twice as as long as it used to be, and much more interesting.

To see and learn more of/about Harewood Forest click this.