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Native plants for Brisbane soils - fact sheet 1

The suburbs listed below generally have gravelly red and yellow loamy top soils over clay.

Acacia Ridge, Alderley, Algester, Annerley, Anstead, Archerfield, Aspley, Auchenflower, Balmoral, Banks Ck, Banyo, Bardon, Bellbowrie, Belmont, Berrinba, Brighton, Burbank, Calamvale, Carindale, Carole Park, Chandler, Chapel Hill, Chermside, Chuwar, Coopers Plains, Coorparoo, Darra, Deagon, Doolandella, Drewvale, Durack, East Brisbane, Ellen Grove, England Ck, Enoggera Reservoir, Enoggera, Everton Park, Ferny Grove, Fitzgibbon, Forest Lake, Gaythorne, Geebung, Gordon Park, Grange, Greenslopes, Gumdale, Heathwood, Hemmant, Herston, Highgate Hill, Holland Park West, Holland Park, Inala, Indooroopilly, Jamboree Heights, Karana Downs, Karawatha, Kedron, Kelvin Grove, Kenmore Hills, Kenmore, Keperra, Kholo, Lake Manchester, Larapinta, Lytton, Mackenzie, Mansfield, McDowall, Middle Park, Milton, Mitchelton, Moorooka, Morningside, Mt Crosby, Mt Gravatt, Mt Ommaney, Murarrie, Newmarket, Norman Park, Northgate, Nudgee Beach, Nundah, Paddington, Pallara, Parkinson, Pinjarra Hills, Pinkenba, Pullenvale, Ransome, Red Hill, Richlands, Riverhills, Rocklea, Salisbury, Sandgate, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Shorncliffe, Sinnamon Park, South Brisbane, Spring Hill, St Lucia, Stafford Heights, Stafford, Stretton, Sumner, Taigum, Taringa, Tarragindi, Tingalpa, Toowong, Upper Brookfield, Upper Kedron, Upper Mt Gravatt, Virginia, Wacol, Wakerley, Wavell Heights, West End, Westlake, Willawong, Wilston, Wishart, Woolloongabba, Wooloowin, Wynnum West, Yeerongpilly, Yeronga, Zillmere

Check our guide to Brisbane soil types in other suburbs.

Below are the native plants that most suit gravelly red and yellow loamy top soils over clay.

Common name Botanical name Features
Ground covers and grasses (up to one metre) and vines
Barbed-wire grass Cymbopogon refractus soft blue-green, tufted perennial aromatic grass with taller arching seed heads, resembling barbed wire
Blue daisy Brachyscome microcarpa pale blue daisy growing in scattered clumps on better soils; flowers spring to autumn
Blue flax lily Dianella longifolia small lily of open eucalypt forest; blue flowers; bright blue berries; suit rockery or foreground planting
Kangaroo grass Themeda triandra widespread grass of the eucalypt forest; fine foliage; coppery seed heads in summer
Sarsaparilla vine Hardenbergia violacea fine scrambling hardy vine; deep purple pea flowers in late winter; will cover lattice-work
Scrambling lily Geitonoplesium cymosum grassy-leafed scrambler; shiny black berry and dainty, white, perfumed flowers; fresh shoots edible
Swamp water fern Blechnum indicum upright hardy understorey fern of paperbark lowlands; open graceful form; edible starchy root
Yellow summer lily Tricoryne elatior dainty, rush-leafed lily; small yellow star flowers in summer; grows in open forest
Low shrubs (one to two metres)
Crinkle bush Lomatia silaifolia decorative open shrub; intricate foliage; white grevillea-like flowers; moist, well drained soils
Dogwood Jacksonia scoparia fine-leafed hardy shrub for sunny position, clusters of yellow pea flowers, porous soils
False coffee bush Breynia oblongifolia small shrub with arching branches; small red-black fruit; open, well drained, moist site; attracts butterflies
Pointed-leaf hovea Hovea acutifolia fine open shrub; purple pea flowers in late winter; prefers filtered light, deeper soils
Medium shrubs (two to five metres)
Brisbane laurel Pittosporum revolutum open shrub with cream flowers; evening fragrance; yellow fruit open to reveal red seeds; attracts birds
Geebung* Persoonia cornifolia hardy shrub; upright habit; mid-green foliage; small, yellow fuschia-like flowers; yellow edible fruit
Green kamala Mallotus claoxyloides "smell of the bush" shrub for understorey in rainforest garden; male and female plants
Grey myrtle* Backhousia myrtifolia small spreading understorey tree with small leaves; fragrant foliage and beautiful flowers
Native hibiscus Hibiscus heterophyllus slender tall shrub; large white flowers with deep red throat; prickly stems
Prickly-leafed paperbark* Melaleuca nodosa tall, fine-leafed shrub; creamy yellow pom-pom brushes; well drained sunny position
Scaly myrtle Austromyrtus hillii small rainforest tree with glossy leaves and dainty white flowers; black fruit
White bottlebrush* Callistemon salignus small bushy tree; new foliage pink; nectar-rich, cream brushes attract wildlife
Small trees (five to 10 metres)
Black she-oak* Allocasuarina littoralis medium tree; fine needle foliage; male trees a rusty colour during winter flowering period; butterflies
Foam bark tree* Jagera pseudorhus handsome tree; dark pinnate leaves; panicles of pink flowers; rusty coloured hairy fruit
Red kamala Mallotus philippensis nicely shaped tree if grown in sun; can be pruned to give new reddish growth; velvety red fruit
Sandpaper fig Ficus fraseri slender upright medium tree; leaves have sandpaper texture; dark edible fruit
Swamp box* Lophostemon suaveolens fast growing eucalypt-like tree with graceful branch form; open canopy; frequent flowering periods
Tulipwood Harpullia pendula small shade tree; disease free and hardy; bright green pinnate foliage; decorative orange fruit persists
Umbrella cheese tree* Glochidion sumatranum fast growing tree with large soft leaves; moist, deep soils; edam cheese shaped fruit
Tall trees (over 10 metres)
Brush box* Lophostemon confertus large tree with deep green horizontal foliage; bare pink bark in upper branches; favours south slopes
Celerywood Polyscias elegans handsome shade tree; long pinnate leaves, fast growing pioneer in rich, moist soils; draws wildlife
Grey ironbark Eucalyptus siderophloia large trees for acreage or steep sites; comprised original canopy of the area; trunks a feature; provide food, nest and perch sites for varied native wildlife
Pink bloodwood Corymbia intermedia
Scribbly gum Eucalyptus signata
Spotted gum* Corymbia citriodora

* These plants are more suited to drier, free-draining soils.

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