White Cedar (Melia azedarach)

Young White Cedar

​​White Cedars are one of Australia’s few native deciduous trees.

​Unlike European or North American trees though, white cedars do not give the splendid display of colour we all expect of a deciduous tree.

​Their leaves simply go yellow and fall off. This usually happens around April. Even so, an adult white cedar 10 metres high can pretty much carpet the ground!

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White cedars are similar to pittosporums in terms of their resilience. They are fast growing, have extensive root systems and are excellent coloniser trees. They can be identified by their fronds of lanceolate light-green leaves. ​

Three-year-old White Cedar

The leaves are particularly easy to identify because of the serrations along both sides. In spring, small white flowers with purple centres appear at the end of each stem. The flowers emit a strong scent of honey. They eventually give way to small, green fruits which become white or dull yellow as they ripen. These fruits are a favourite of many native birds including Red Wattlebirds, Lewin’s Honeyeaters, King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas and Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoos.

White Cedar flowers and unripe fruits

​We use white cedars in much the same way as pittosporums – as coloniser trees. They are really suited to newly cleared land because of their rate of growth and drought tolerance.
 
Germination: Seed.

Red Cedar (Toona ciliata)

Red Cedar leaves

​The Red Cedar is another Australian native deciduous tree. It gets its name from its highly prized red timber. Logging in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries almost sent the species extinct. More recently, restrictions have seen it make a comeback but, in many areas, really large adult trees can still be hard to find. That said, Red Cedars are fairly common at Bangalee below the ridges. They prefer rainforest and other moist areas and will reach over 50 metres tall in ideal conditions.

​The trunk of the Red Cedar is grey, slightly rough and can be mottled with lighter grey patches of bark and lichens. The trunk is almost always very straight. Leaves are lanceolate shaped, light green in colour and about 3-4cm long. They grow opposite each other on fronds that can approach 1 metre long. Small, white tubular flowers appear in clusters in late spring and early summer. These are replaced by teardrop shaped berries that change from green to burgundy as they ripen.
 
Germination: Seed.

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Mid-sized Red Cedar

Koda (Ehretia acuminata)

Adult Koda with fruits

​​Koda trees are a large, deciduous rainforest tree that can be found throughout Bangalee Reserve. They can reach up to 20 metres in height but are more commonly found in the range of 6 to 10 metres. Their dense foliage makes them an excellent shade tree in summer.
 
The leaf of the Koda tree is elliptically shaped and is quite large, around 15cm. It is mid to dark green and has distinct serrations on the edges.

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Koda seedling

Koda leaves and fruit

Koda tree flowers occur in large bunches at the end of each stem. The flowers themselves are tiny, white and have five petals. Over summer, the flowers give way to clusters of small, orange berries. As the berries dry out, they eventually turn black and look somewhat like peppercorns.
 
Koda trees spread very easily in suitable environments. At Bangalee, they seem to prefer the river flats where there is full sun, fertile soil and plenty of moisture. That said, we have also found them growing further up the ridges.
 
Germination: Seed.

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