different between scrubland vs mallee

English

Etymology

scrub +? land

Noun

scrubland (countable and uncountable, plural scrublands)

1. A plant community characterized by scrub vegetation, consisting of low shrubs, mixed with grasses, herbs, and geophytes.

   The scrubland I'd be crossing looked desolate, but at least it wasn't a desert.

Synonyms

• heathland

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?mali/
• (Australian, General American) IPA^(key): /?mæli/
• Hyphenation: mal?lee

Etymology 1

Probably borrowed from Wemba-Wemba mali; compare Woiwurrung mali.

Noun

mallee (plural mallees)

1. (Australia) A type of scrubland with low-growing thick eucalypts, characteristic of certain parts of Australia. [from 19th c.]
2. (Australia) Any semi-desert region of Australia where such scrub is the predominant vegetation. [from 19th c.]
   • 1985, Peter Carey, chapter 4, in Illywhacker, St. Lucia, Qld.: University of Queensland Press, ?ISBN; republished Faber and Faber, 2003, ?ISBN, page 365:

     It made no difference that he had also invented several ploughs and a device for grubbing Mallee country or that people had journeyed all the way from Melbourne to inspect them.

3. (Australia) Any of several low-growing eucalypts characteristic of such scrubland, especially Eucalyptus dumosa, Eucalyptus oleosa, and Eucalyptus socialis. [from 19th c.]
4. (botany, Australia) The growth habit of certain eucalypt species that grow with multiple stems springing from an underground lignotuber, shared by species of related genera.
   • 1978 June, Eliseo O. Mariani; Warren A. Wood; Paul C. Kouchoukos; Mary Beth Minton; Marelco, Inc., “Introduction” and “The Eucalypts”, in The Eucalyptus Energy Farm: Feasibility Study and Demonstration: Phase 1: Site and Species Selection (HCP/T2557-01), Washington, D.C.: Division of Solar Technology, Office of Energy Technology, United States Department of Energy, OCLC 4093594:

     [page 1-4, section 1.3] Of the many variations in form of the Eucalyptus (shrubs, mallees, trees, etc.), virtually all species being tested in the above category are those which exhibit good tree form (e.g., height, straightness of trunk, etc.).

     [page 2-1, section 2.2] Shrubby eucalypts are usually referred to as "mallees" although the term strictly applies to those species which have many stems growing from an enlarged rootstock (lignotuber).

Derived terms

• mallee bird, mallee fowl, malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata)
• mallee ringneck (Australian ringneck; Barnardius zonarius)
• mallee roller
• mallee soil

Etymology 2

See mali.

Noun

mallee (plural mallees)

2. (India, South Asia) Alternative spelling of mali (“a native gardener”).

Further reading

• mallee on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• mallee (habit) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Latin

Noun

mallee

1. vocative singular of malleus