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Native plants for Brisbane soils - fact sheet 3

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The suburbs listed below have deep red loamy soils.

Boondall, Bracken Ridge, Bridgeman Downs, Carseldine, Chelmer, Clayfield, Corinda, Eight Mile Plains, Graceville, Kuraby, Lota, Macgregor, Manly West, Manly, Moggill, Nudgee, Oxley, Robertson, Rochedale, Sherwood, Sunnybank Hills, Sunnybank, Wynnum

Check our guide to Brisbane soil types in other suburbs.

Below are the native plants that most suit deep red loamy soils

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 flax lily Dianella longifolia small lily of open eucalypt forest; blue flowers; bright blue berries; suits rockery or foreground planting
Guinea flower Hibbertia linearis low, compact shrub with good form; bright yellow flowers; suits rockery
Many-flowered mat rush Lomandra multiflora small, grass-like plant for sunny sites; sprays of miniature flowers; evening perfume; draws butterflies
Scrambling lily Geitonoplesium cymosum grassy-leafed scrambler; shiny black berry and dainty, white, perfumed flowers; fresh shoots edible
Kangaroo grass Themeda triandra widespread grass of the eucalypt forest; fine foliage; coppery seed heads in summer
Low shrubs (one to two metres)
Dogwood Jacksonia scoparia fine-leafed hardy shrub for sunny position, clusters of yellow pea flowers; porous soils
Hop bush Dodonaea triquetra shrub with distinctive clusters of bronze hop-like fruit; partial shade; moist, well-drained position
Wild may Leptospermum polygalifolium hardy; fine-leafed shrub; open arching habit; useful in mass plantings; small white flowers in summer
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
Broad-leafed boxwood Denhamia pittosporoides useful screen plant; lush green foliage with plentiful orange fruit; from dry rainforest
Native hibiscus Hibiscus heterophyllus slender tall shrub; large white flowers with deep red throat; prickly stems
Prickly-leafed paperbark Melaleuca nodosa compact shrub with sharp leaves; adaptable screen plant; prolific flowering of two centimetre cream brushes
Small trees (five to 10 metres)
Black or river tea tree Melaleuca bracteata shapely, fine-leafed tree of varied height; profuse small brush flowers attract wildlife; moist deep soil
Black she-oak Allocasuarina littoralis medium tree; fine needle foliage; male trees a rusty colour during winter flowering period; draws butterflies
Cheese tree Glochidion ferdinandi compact tree with small glossy leaves; button-shaped fruit; moist soils; attracts wildlife
Plunkett mallee Eucalyptus curtisii multi-stemmed gum of stunted form; dense heads of nectar-laden blossom in October
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 coronata small tree with edible yellow fruit; attractive to wildlife; sandpaper texture to leaves
Swamp box Lophostemon suaveolens fast growing eucalypt-like tree with graceful branch form; open canopy; frequent flowering periods
Weeping bottle brush Callistemon viminalis small rounded tree of weeping habit; prolific red bottle brush flowers attract birds; moist sites
Tall trees (over 10 metres)
Crow’s ash Flindersia australis large timber tree suit specimen; panicles of white flowers; woody fruit opens into five woody sections
Pink bloodwood Corymbia intermedia 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
Spotted gum Corymbia citriodora

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