We investigated the effect of leaf litter on the establishment of Eucalyptu
s incrassata, a mallee eucalypt. It has been suggested that litter accumula
tion may hinder seedling establishment, and that the removal of litter may
be one of the mechanisms through which fire enhances recruitment. We conduc
ted factorial experiments testing the effects of three kinds of leaf litter
on E. incrassata seeds and seedlings at three contiguous sites with differ
ent land use histories. One site was an uncleared E. incrassata open mallee
woodland (Mallee site), one a cleared area that had been ungrazed for abou
t five years (Pasture site) and the third an area of mallee rolled some 40
years ago and permitted to regenerate (Regrowth site). Litter had no effect
on emergence of planted E. incrassata seeds, but emergence differed betwee
n sites. Overall, the percentage of seeds that germinated and emerged was s
ubstantial (mean 35.2% +/- 25.9%). Seedling shoot biomass did not differ be
tween sites or litter treatments. Although seedlings grown in Pasture litte
r suffered higher mortality rates, overall mortality rates were low (mean 1
3.2% +/- 15.5%), suggesting that leaf litter has little effect on recruitme
nt rates during winter and spring. We conclude that leaf litter does not af
fect emergence or growth in young E. incrassata seedlings during winter and
spring, when most establishment occurs. Our results emphasize the difficul
ty in predicting litter effects on recruitment.