Rainforest Trees

Lilly Pilly (Syzygium smithii)

Adult Lilly Pilly

New growth on Lilly Pilly seedlings

The Common Lilly Pilly is a rainforest tree that grows to 20 metres. It is an excellent coloniser tree because it is fast growing, has dense foliage and is fairly drought tolerant. The leaf of the Lilly Pilly is teardrop shaped except that the sides curve in toward the middle as it nears the tip. New leaves start deep red before turning pink then dark green as they mature.

Lilly Pillys flower in spring. They produce masses of white, hairy flowers which have a passing resemblance to eucalypt flowers. Over summer, the flowers mature into cherry-sized pink fruits which are very popular among native birds.

At Bangalee, we use Lilly Pillys extensively for regeneration. They are hardy and ideally suited to areas formerly infested with lantana. Because their seeds sprout wherever they fall, we can simply transplant or pot up the seedlings without going through the first step of germinating the seeds. This makes them even more attractive!

Germination: Seed.

Cheese Tree (Glochidion ferdinandi)

Cheese Trees leaves and unripe fruit

The Cheese Tree is a fast-growing, early coloniser. Despite primarily being a rainforest tree, it is very drought tolerant and will grow with very little attention.

Adult Cheese Trees grow to around 12m x 12m and produce a fairly thick canopy. Their leaves look remarkably like the leaves of a lilly pilly but can be distinguished by their lighter green colour and their alternate placement along the frond. New leaves are also light green rather than pink or purple as with lilly pillys.

Ripe Cheese Tree fruit

Cheese Trees flower in spring producing hundreds of tiny yellow flowers directly on the stem. Over summer, these change into round, segmented berries about 1cm across. As the berries ripen, they go from light green to red or pink. An established Cheese Tree will literally produce thousands of them.

At Bangalee, we use Cheese Trees to establish a canopy quickly. The faster the ground is shaded, the quicker we can stop weed regrowth!

Germination: Seed.

Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum)

Full-grown Pittosporum

Pittosporums are an extremely versatile colonisation tree. They are fast growing and highly drought tolerant. Their root system is fairly vigorous and surface roots will often spread well beyond the area covered by the canopy. This makes them perfectly suited to areas where erosion is likely to be a problem.

However, because they lack significant tap roots, they should be planted alongside deeper rooted trees to maintain long term stability. Their only drawbacks are that they spread very easily and they are not fire resistant.

Pittosporums can be identified by the waves or undulations along the edge of their oblong leaves. They are a dense tree and can reach up to 8 metres in height.

Pittosporum leaves and seed pods

In mid spring to early summer, Pittosporums produce thousands of tiny white flowers at the end of each stem. These flowers emit an extremely strong scent of honey. By late summer, the small football-shaped seed pods appear. While they start off green, the seeds are not mature until the pod has turned a bright orange colour.

We primarily use Pittosporums in areas that we want revegetated really quickly. For instance, in a spot where there are problems with erosion or weed regrowth, we plant pittosporums to provide a quick cover.

Germination: Seed.

Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)

Blueberry Ash fruits

The Blueberry Ash is named, quite unsurprisingly, because of the small blue fruits it produces in summer. These follow a mass of small white to pink, bell-shaped flowers with lace-like petals.

The Blueberry Ash is a mid-sized tree and rarely exceeds 10 metres. It has dark-green, slightly oval shaped with leaves tiny serrations along the sides. New leaves appear in spring at the tips of each stem and are typically orange to deep red in colour.

New growth on Blueberry Ash

Although it is technically a rainforest plant, we have found that Blueberry Ashes are actually quite drought tolerant once established and will survive in a variety of soils and conditions.

Germination: Cutting.

Sandpaper Fig (Ficus coronata)

Sandpaper Fig leaves

The Sandpaper Fig is most commonly found growing near creeks and gullies. It gets its name from its leaves which feel exactly like sandpaper.

Unlike other figs, it is only a mid-sized tree and rarely exceeds 8 metres high. Its leaves are dark green, ovulate shaped and very rigid. The distinguishing feature is obviously the sandpapery texture of both sides of the leaf and the stem.

Adult Sandpaper Figs

The Sandpaper Fig is excellent for erosion control. It has an extensive root system and will tolerate brackish water better than many other native trees at Bangalee. It can be found throughout the river flats growing right down to the water’s edge.

Germination: Cutting.

Port Jackson Fig (Ficus rubiginosa)

Port Jackson Fig hanging over a cliff

The Port Jackson Fig is a mid-sized fig growing to about 10 metres high x 12 metres wide. As with all figs, it has a strong root system making it an excellent candidate for erosion control. At Bangalee, it can be found growing high on the ridge tops overlooking the Shoalhaven River. Often, it anchors itself precariously over the cliff edge.

Port Jackson fig leaves are oval shaped and have an olive green top and light brown underside. They also have a slightly rubbery texture. They typically grow to between 6 and 15cm long and are arranged alternately along the stem.

Port Jackson Figs flower in spring and by summer have hundreds of yellowy-brown, mable-sized fruits lining each stem.

Germination: Seed.

Port Jackson Fig leaves and fruits

Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla)

The Shoalhaven River marks the southern-most limit Moreton Bay Fig’s native range. Even so, there are plenty to be found in the rainforests across the region. Moreton Bay Figs are the most easily recognisable of all the figs. Their extremely large buttresses stand out in any native bushland while their height allows them to be seen from quite a distance. Adult Moreton Bay Figs usually exceed 50 metres in height and are often over 60 metres wide.

The leaves resemble Port Jackson Fig leaves in that they are oval shaped, have a green topside and brownish underside. However, Moreton Bay Fig leaves are longer at between 15 and 25cm, have a darker green topside, and have a much more rust-coloured underside. Some leaves may also lack the rust-coloured underside altogether, being light green instead. All leaves are arranged alternately along the stem.

The fruits typically appear in late summer. They are round, roughly grape-sized and change from light green to burgundy red as they ripen.

Germination: Seed.