Long-Fruited Marlock

Long-Fruited Marlock (Eucalyptus macrandra) is a Western Australian mallee that grows to about 6m tall and 5m wide, branching low and holding foliage close to the ground rather than lifting into a bare trunk. That habit is what makes it useful: a eucalypt that actually screens. Yellow green flowers open in the warmer months and bring honeyeaters and bees in numbers.

Why you'll love it

• A gum that screens. Marlocks branch from near ground level, so a row gives cover at fence height instead of a line of clear trunks.
• Manageable size. At 6m by 5m it suits a suburban boundary or a rural driveway without the scale and root demands of a forest eucalypt.
• Unusual flowers. Long yellow green stamens open from distinctive elongated buds, a genuine point of difference from the white flowered gums.
• Tough where it counts. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind tolerant and content in poor soil, so it performs on dry inland and Mediterranean blocks.

Where it works best

Screening and windbreak. Plant 3m apart for a tall screen or windbreak. That spacing lets the low branching knit into a continuous face while each tree keeps enough room to fill out.

Feature planting. Grown alone it develops a broad, spreading crown over smooth grey and cream bark, which shows the flowers and the unusual fruit to best effect.

Wildlife planting. Nectar rich blossom draws honeyeaters, bees and butterflies, so a boundary row does habitat work as well as screening.

Growing Long-Fruited Marlock in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens, and being frost hardy it handles cold inland and southern winters. Humid tropical gardens are the wrong fit, since it comes from a dry summer climate.

Soil. Poor, sandy and gravelly soils are fine. Drainage matters far more than fertility, so avoid heavy clay that stays wet in winter, or plant on a raised mound.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first two summers to establish deep roots, then only in extreme drought. Feeding is rarely needed; if you feed, use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring.

Pruning. Very little. Leave the low branches in place if you want the screening habit, and remove only damaged or crossing wood. Cutting the base off turns it into a small tree and defeats the point of a marlock.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in a single large size, a 150L pot: an advanced tree with substantial height and a developed crown on arrival, which suits a species slow to get away from a small pot. It is heavy, so plan for two people and a prepared hole on delivery day.

Trees are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Stake against wind for the first year and water deeply while the root ball knits into the surrounding soil. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A guide to rarer Australian native plants
• Browse the full Australian native tree range
• What survives in windy conditions
• Compare other windbreak trees and shrubs

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Three metres apart in a single row. Any tighter and the low branches shade each other out, which costs you the ground level cover that makes this species worth planting.

Will it screen better than a normal gum?

Yes, because it is a mallee form that branches from low down rather than growing a clear trunk. Left unpruned it holds foliage at fence height, which most eucalypts do not.

Can it handle frost and drought?

Both, and poor soil as well, which is why it works on dry inland and Mediterranean sites. Give it deep watering through the first two summers.

How close to the house can I plant it?

Allow at least 5m of clearance to match the mature spread, and more from paving and services. It is smaller than a forest eucalypt, but it is still a tree.