Those
who live in this region might consider planting them (either with
introduced plants or in preference to them) in gardens or reserves,
or on farms. Rather than browsing the whole list, you may wish
to click on the type of plant you are interested in.
Shrubs • Small
plants and ground cover • Climbers
• Native Grasses • Trees
• Indigenous Plant Nurseries
• Reference Books
Shrubs
and small trees
Wattles
(Acacia)
Whilst some claim to be sensitive to wattle pollen, house-dust
mites, cats and introduced grasses are more likely to trigger
hay fever and asthma attacks. Wattles provide food for many of
our native birds and for sugar gliders which attack insect pests.
Take away the wattles and some birds and sugar gliders go too.
Trees are then more prone to insect attack. Every Aussie garden
needs wattles!
Local varieties include:
Gold Dust Wattle
Acacia acinacea
1-2m high*2-4m wide (variable).
All soils. An attractive spreading shrub suitable for most soils.
It can be pruned back very hard every few years if it becomes
scraggly. A prostrate form is usually available from Goldfields
Regeneration (e.g. dwarf form from Wychitella).
Gold
Dust Wattle in the author's Echuca-Moama garden (K Stockwell)
Ausfield's
Wattle Acacia ausfieldii
3m*2m Gravel and
semi-shade preferred. An elegant shrub found only in the Bendigo
area. Protect from wind. A very attractive plant when in flower.
Grey Mulga
Acacia brachybotrya
2m*2m Sandy soil Common
in the inland, some specimens grow in Kamarooka amongst Grey Box
(see picture below).
Rounded leaves: the grey foliage adds contrast to green plants.
Grey
Mulga growing under Grey Box in Kamarooka Forest (K Stockwell)
Deane's Wattle
Acacia deanei
6m*6m Clay loam Dull
green, leathery foliage. Similar in appearance to Silver Wattle.
Bent-leaf Wattle
Acacia flexifolia
2m*3m A compact wattle
which flowers during late winter. Masses of this wattle grow in
parts of the Wellsford Forest, producing a stunning show in late
July and August. Worth cultivating.
Hakea-like Black Wattle
Acacia hakeiodes
3m*3m Most
soils. A hardy, bushy shrub, up to 3 metres high and 7 across,
with thick leaves. Long-lived. A good garden plant but frequent
tip pruning is recommended to prevent woodiness.
left: Acacia hakeoides
Spreading Wattle
Acacia genistifolia (Previously A. diffusa)
2m*2m Suitable for most soils,
this open-branched, spreading shrub is frost hardy and ornamental
when in flower. Being prickly, it is a refuge for small birds.
Umbrella Bush (or Small Cooba)
Acacia ligulata
3m wide and up to 5m tall.
A bushy shrub or small tree.
Manna Wattle
Acacia microcarpa
3m*3m Narrow phyllodes and
globular, golden yellow flowers in Spring.
Mallee Wattle
Acacia montana
4m*4m A compact and long-lived
shrub, it's stunning when covered in bright yellow flowers in
Spring. A good screening plant.
Miljee (also called Umbrella Wattle) Acacia oswaldii
3m*3 to 8m A dense rounded
bush or small tree. Not suitable for small gardens.
Needle Wattle (also called Nealie) Acacia rigens
3m*3m A bushy shrub with
greyish, spike-like 'leaves'.
Cooba or Native Willow
Acacia salicina
3-11m*3-11m A small tree
with drooping phyllodes which prefers to live alongside a dam
or creek.
River Cooba or Eumung Acacia stenophylla
A rough, bushy tree to
20m which grows along the banks of water courses.
Whirrakee Wattle
Acacia williamsonii
2.5m*3m
Indigenous only to the Bendigo area, e.g. in Kamarooka Forest,
this plant is very attractive when in bloom. Worth trying!
Whirrakee
Wattle (D Ong)
Cattle Bush (also called Nealie) Alectryon oleifolius ssp canescens
6m*6m A bushy shrub or
small tree with narrow green-grey leaves and small green flowers
followed by red berries. Used as stock feed during drought times.
Once a very widespread plant.
Saltbushes should not be dismissed
as garden plants. An Old Man Saltbush can take pride of place
in your garden - but give it plenty of room to spread. Smaller
salt bushes can also add interest to any garden but may be short-lived.
Old
Man Saltbush: a screen for fences (K Stockwell)
Old Man Saltbush
Atriplex nummularia
2m in height
* 4-5m Heavy soils; tolerates salty soils
Palatable to stock, this shrub is becoming increasingly planted
on local farms. Its silver foliage provides a good contrast and
it is fire retardant. A good screening plant. Suitable for the
back garden but leave it lots of room to spread. The Old Man Saltbush
pictured above grows in the writer's Moama garden where it was
planted as tube-stock over 25 years ago.
Broom Baeckia
Baeckea behrii
Silver Banksia
Banksia marginata
4-10m in hight * 2-5m.
Grows in sandy loam.
Small tree with bright yellow flower heads. Prefers sandy soil
but tolerates variety of soils. Only a handful of local specimens
remain in the wild in Gulpa Island and around Bendigo. Good screening
plant. Flowers can be cut for indoor decoration.
Sweet Bursaria Bursaria spinosa (formerly called B. lasiophylla)
2.5m*2.5m Can grow
much taller in favourable conditions. Loam
Widespread but rarely prolific, e.g. along roadsides near Picola.
A prickly shrub which could serve as a useful screen plant. Provides
protection for small native birds, e.g. blue wrens. Food for catarpillas
of several species of butterfly. It also harbours the eggs of
a wasp which eats Christmas beetles. When the shrub is absent,
Christmas Beetles can devastate eucalypts (New England Die Back).
Bears a profusion of small, bell-shaped scented white flowers
in spring.
Common Fringe Myrtle
Calytrix
tetragona
2m high*1m
wide Sandy, well-drained soil preferred
An excellent ornamental shrub for gardens and roadsides.
Pink flowers conceal the leaves in spring. This plant grows naturally
on the sandhills of Gulpa Island and in the Warbys. Compact forms
are suitable for small gardens.
Left: Common Fringe Myrtle
Prickly Bottlebrush Callistemon brachyandrus
3m*2m Most soils
Being prickly, this is a great refuge plant for birds. It can
also be used to deter pedestrians from certain areas. Suitable
for roadside planting. Very hardy. Orange-red fl.
River Bottlebrush
Callistemon sieberi (formerly called C. padulosus)
An erect dwarf shrub
which prefers damp conditions and which can withstand periodic
flooding. Grows along some large streams. Cream rather than red
bottle brush flowers.
Chinese Scrub
Cassinia diminuta
2m*2m Most soils
A colonising plant that may become common on abandoned farmland
in the south of the region. Can get leggy (woody) if not kept
pruned.
Rock Correa
Correa glabra
1m*2m Base of rocks
Found at base of Mitiamo Rock and other rocky outcrops. Suitable
as a container plant or garden plant amongst rocks or against
a south-facing wall.
Common Correa
Correa reflexa
1m*2m Most soils
A common plant in the Grampians and in the sandy deserts of north-west
Victoria; also grows in Bendigo area. A good container plant.
Pale green tubular flowers.
Crowea Crowea
exalata
1m*1m Most soils Small
shrub with aromatic leaves. Pink star-like flowers cover much
of the plant for many months. Usually responds to light (branch
tip) pruning. Water during prolonged dry periods. One of the best
indigenous garden plants. Water during dry weather. Highly recommended.
Wedge-leaf Hopbush Dodonaea viscosa ssp cuneata
1.5m*1.5m spp cuneata
An attractive ornamental plant. The broad-leaf form is
smaller than the Narrow-leaf Hopbush (D. viscosa ssp angustissima)
which also grows locally. Hopbush was common and is still found
in Kamarooka Forest and in the Heathcote-Graytown National Park.
One of the best local plants for gardens. Well worth a try! Light
tip pruning is recommended to keep the plant bushy.
Emu
Bushes (Eremophila)
Eremophila spp.
Eremophilas (the name means desert-loving) have never received
the fame they deserve as garden plants, maybe because the dislike
the wetter climates of Melbourne and Sydney. These plants can
be found near Uluru, on the Nullarbor and back of Bourke. Some
local varieties were once very common but relatively few remain
owing to land clearing and grazing. Consider growing some! They
grow very well under cultivation but dislike excessive watering.
Eremophila longifolia (pictured) is one of the best of
the local species.
Berrigan
or Weeping Emu Bush
Eremophila longifolia
Prefers
sand or loam; 4-10m*3m; red-spotted flowers; good windbreak. Widespread
over much of the inland, this species survives locally on some
of the ridges in Barmah Forest and along some roadsides (e.g.
the western end of Allan Corry Roadside Reserve, Scobie Road Wyuna)
and creeks. It produces suckers. The form found in the Echuca
region is shown in the above photograph.
Amulla
Eremophila debilis (clay)
Turkey Bush (Ellangowan
Poison Bush) Eremophila deserti
Spreading Emu Bus) Eremophila divaricata
Tar Bush (Poverty
Bush) Eremophila glabra
Variable prostrate or
erect shrub to 2m high. A common understorey plant in mallee country.
Red flowers and blue-green leaves.
Berrigan Eremophila longifolia
Spotted Fuschia
Eremophila maculata
Grows in clay and loams;
1-2m*1m; dwarf varieties available; very hardy and very attractive.
Various forms are available in nurseries. A mass of flowers, red
on the outside and yellow with red spots on the inside, cover
much of the plant over winter and spring. This species is found
throughout much of inland Australia.
Note: the native
plant nursery at Pooncarie (north of Wentworth) specialises in
Eremophila.
Common Eutaxia
Eutaxia microphylla
See ground cover notes
below.
Leafless Cherry
Exocarpus aphyllus
Shrub or small tree to
5m. It is semi-parasitic and difficult to propagate.
Dwarf Cherry (Pale Fruit Ballart) Exocarpus strictus
An attractive, bushy,
semi-parasitic shrub which is very difficult (or impossible?)
to propagate. It grows along rivers with Red Gum or Black Box.
Authorities used to cut down these bushy shrubs because they are
semi-parasitic on eucalypts.
Cat's Claw Grevillea
Grevillea alpina
1m*1m
Loam
Common on Mt Ida, in the Grampians, in Kamarooka, in the deserts
of north-west Victoria, in the Warby Range and in the Pyalong
area. Makes an excellent container plant. Despite its name, this
Grevillea is not confined to mountainous areas. The spider-like
flowers range in colour from yellow through orange to red. Deservedly
popular and available in almost all nurseries. Water during dry
weather. The photo to the left was taken in Kamarooka Forest by
Echuca photographer David Ong.
Hooked Needlewood
Hakea leucoptera/tephrosperma
Large shrub
or tree to 6 metres which needle-like leaves found along the Barmah-Shepparton
Road. It
has narrow spiny leaves and small cream flowers in spring.
Rock Isotome
Isotoma sp.
0.5m*0.5m.
A delicate plant which grows in rock crevasses. A hardy plant
for pot or garden.
Rock
Isotome growing in rock cracks on Mt Terrick Terrick (D Ong)
Heath Tea-tree
Leptospermum myrsinoides
2m*2m.
Most soils. Small, sharply-pointed leaves and abundant, small,
white flowers. A good screening plant.
Violet Honey-myrtle Melaleuca wilsonii
2m*3m.
A popular garden shrub with deep pink flowers in long clusters
along branches in Spring. Indigenous to the Bendigo area.
Heath Myrtle
Micromyrtus ciliata
1m*2m.
Profusion of whitish/pink flowers in Spring. Very attractive when
in flower. Prune to maintain good shape.
Twiggy Daisy Bush
Olearia ramulosa
A small, attractive
shrub covered in white flowers during Spring. Water during dry
weather.
Clammy Daisy Bush
Olearia decurrens
A small, attractive
shrub covered in white flowers during Spring. Water during dry
periods.
Heath Daisy Bush
Olearia floribunda
A small, attractive
shrub covered in white flowers during Spring. Water during dry
spells.
Silky Daisy Bush
Olearia myrsinoides
A small, attractive
shrub covered in white flowers during Spring. Water during dry
times.
Velvet Daisy Bush
Olearia pannosa
A small, attractive
shrub covered in white flowers during Spring. Water during dry
intervals. The leaves are aromatic if crushed.
Pimelea Daisy Bush
Olearia pimeleoides
1m*1m A small, attractive
shrub covered in white flowers during Spring. Conifer-like foliage.
Prune by a quarter after flowering to maintain bushy shape. The
leaves are aromatic if crushed.
Cypress Daisy Bush
Olearia teretifolia
1.5m*1m A small grey
shrub covered in white flowers early in Spring. Prune by a quarter
after flowering to maintain bushy shape. The leaves are aromatic
if crushed.
Dwarf Geebung
Persoonia chamaepeuce
Grows south of Echuca
in the Whipstick.
Stiff Geebung
Persoonia rigida
unusual and interesting
plant. Grows in the Whipstick.
Phebalium
Phebalium obcordatum
Grows in the Whipstick.
Weeping Butterbush
Pittosporum angustifolium
3m*3m (larger
under ideal conditions). Most soils It's hard to understand why
this graceful small tree isn't more popular with local
gardeners. It has drooping branches and mottled, whitish bark.
It bears orange heart-shaped berries. It tends to sucker. It's
more attractive than Mock Orange (Pittosporum undulatum)
which is an environmental weed. Grows in Terrick Terrick State
Park, along local roadsides, in the Whipstick and in bushland
near Echuca Caravan Park. One of the few shrubs that grows on
the Nullarbor Plain.
See also the picture
of Weeping Pittosporum near the bottom of this page.
Bendigo Wax
Philotheca verrucosus (formerly Eriostemon verrucosus)
1m*1m Loam. A popular
garden plant. Aromatic. Pink buds open to white star-like flowers.
Well worth a try; dislikes alkaline and poorly-drained soils.
Scarlet Mint-bush
Prostanthera aspalathoides
0.7m*0.7m Loam. Brilliant
scarlet flowers blend in with dark-green crowded leaves over Spring
and Summer. Lightly prune after flowering. Tolerates hot, dry
conditions. A must have! One of the best garden shrubs, albeit
a small one. Water during dry weather.
Rough Mint-bush
Prostanthera denticulata
1m*1.5m. Tolerates
dry conditions. Mauve flowers in Spring. Water during dry weather
Desert Cassia
(Punty) Senna artemisioides
1.5m*1.5m Sand
loam/clay A very attractive, bushy, multi-stemmed shrub
with needle-like leaves and heavily-scented yellow flowers over
a long period. Ideal along a fence line. Can be pruned hard. Doesn't
like excessive watering. They self-seed when conditions are right.
Some may dislike the way seed pods remain on the shrub for months
after flowering.
Kangaroo Apple Solanum laciniatum
2m*2m Loam
Medium shrub in the nightshade family.
Whipstick Westringia Westringia crassifolia (also W. eremicola;
W. rigida)
1m*1m Grows in the
Whipstick. An attractive garden plant.
Ground
covers and small plants to about one metre (excluding
native grasses)
Flame Heath
Astroloma conostephoides
A very attractive plant
found on sand hills, e.g. in Wychitella, in Little Desert and
in the Grampians. Can be grown in a container.
Pop Saltbush
Atriplex holocarpa
A small herbaceous
and usually short-lived plant.
Creeping Saltbush
Atriplex semibaccata
Suitable for heavy
soils; tolerates salty soils. A small saltbush which will climb
part of the way up a trunk. May be short-lived. It has small attractive
berries.
Sticky Boronia
Boronia anemonifolia
This small attractive
shrub grows in the forests around Bendigo.
Brachycome or Fringed Daisy
Brachycome ciliaris
A suckering perennial.
Flowers may be white through to mauve, according to subspecies.
Suitable for a rockery or pot.
Golden Everlasting
Bracteantha bracteata (formerly called Helichrysum bracteatum)
An annual herb to 80cm.
Mass planting adds colour to your garden.
Correas: see above.
Rosy Heath-myrtle
Euromyrtus ramosissima (Formerly Baeckea ramosissima)
Grows in Ironbark Forest,
e.g. In the Whipstick. Exceptionally attractive when in
flower but seems to prefer some shade and moisture. Hard to establish
in Echuca area. A plant which has had a change to its botanical
name.
Lemon Beauty Heads
Calocephalus citreus
An attractive everlasting.
Very hardy once established.
Clustered Everlasting
Chrysocephalum semipapposum (formerly Helichrysum semipapposum)
Very
common in Echuca Regional Park, in Greater Bendigo National Park
and even in the sandhills behind Echuca High. Can be pruned.
Clustered
Everlasting (K Stockwell)
Bindweed Convolulus
erubescens
Attractive pink flowers
cover the plant in late Spring and early Summer.
Drumsticks
Craspedia variabilis
Small Crowea
Crowea revoluta (formerly called Crowea exalata)
Grows south of Echuca
in the Whipstick. Excellent garden plant. Can be grown in a container
or in a small garden. Water during dry weather.
Grooved Dampiera
Dampiera lanceolata
Loam. Vivid blue flowers
in Spring. Worthy of a spot in the garden. Water during dry weather.
Suitable for a container.
Gorse Bitter Pea
Daviesia ulicifolia
Loam. Orange and red
pea-like flowers.
Pale Flax Lily
Dianella longifolia var. paradoxa
This plant has dark
green sword-like leaves and blue berries in summer.
Black-anther Flax Lily Dianella admixta (formerly D. revoluta)
Sandy soils. Found
on the sandhill between Echuca High and the Murray and on roadsides
(e.g. Barnes Road), this small plant has dark green sword-like
leaves and dark blue berries in summer. Seems to prefer sandy
soils but can tolerate clay. Once established, tough as nails
and worth a spot in the garden.
Grey Parrot Pea
Dillwynia cinerascens
Small shrub to 2 metres high
and a metre wide. Small pea-shaped flowers of orange and yellow
in spring. Prefers creek banks. Found, for example, in Horseshoe
Lagoon Bicentennial Park, Moama.
Showy Parrot Pea
Dillwynia sericea
Clay loam. A variable dwarf
shrub with pea-shaped yellow/orange/red flowers in spring.
Rounded Noon Flower
Disphyma crassifolium
Clay loam. A type of pigface
found also in South Africa and New Zealand with scarlet mauve
flowers in Spring.
Ruby saltbush
Enchylaena tomentosa
A ground-hugging succulent
with blue-green foliage and red and edible yellow fleshy fruits.
Blue Devil
Eryngium ovinum
Growing naturally on
ground that is periodically flooded, the Blue Devil has unusual
cone-shaped flowers in prickly clusters and may be of interest
to creative florists and gardeners after something different.
Hard to obtain in nurseries but try Paul Haw's Venn's Creek Nursery,
Yando Road via Boort. Watering during dry periods is essential.
Likes some shade.
Mallee Bush Pea (Eutaxia)Eutaxia microphylla
Loam. This dwarf spreading
shrub has pea-shaped yellow flowers in spring. It is suitable
as a container or ground-cover plant. There are at least two local
varieties, diffusa (Spreading eutaxia) and microphylla
(Common Eutaxia).
Helichrysum - see Bracteantha
bracteata
Hoary (Grey) Guinea Flower Hibbertia obtusifolia
Ideal ground cover
or container plant. Large, bright golden-yellow flowers in spring.
Hibbertias are very widespread throughout Australia and this is
one of our local varieties. Propagate from cuttings.
Silky Guinea Flower Hibbertia sericea
Ideal ground cover
or container plant. Large, bright golden-yellow flowers in spring.
Propagate from cuttings.
Erect Guinea Flower Hibbertia stricta
Ideal ground cover
or container plant. Large, bright golden-yellow flowers in spring.
Propagate from cuttings.
Common Hovea
Hovea linearis
A small understorey
shrub which grows to the east of the region.
Muntries
Kunzea pomifera
This small prostrate
shrub grows in mallee sands such as in the Little Desert. It is
particularly attractive when in flower but seems to be hard to
establish in the Echuca area.
Bluebush Maireana sp.
Minuria Mimuria
spp
There are several species
of these bush daisies in the region. All have small mauve or white
daisy-like flowers. They tend to die back in summer.
Grey Everlasting
Ozothamnus obcordatus
A common everlasting
which has undergone a name change.
Curved Rice Flower
Pimelea curviflora
A small plant which
seems to be increasing in abundance.
Small Rice Flower
Pimelea humilis
Slender Rice Flower Pimelea linifolia
Widespread. Grows in
Victoria Park bushland, Echuca.
Shrubby Rice Flower Pimelea microcephala
Grey Podolepis
Podolepis canescens
1m*1m Bright yellow
flower heads in spring.
Showy Podolepis
Podolepis jaceoides
Perennial wildflower
with large yellow flower heads. Suggestion: grow amongst native
bluebells (Wahlenbergia spp).
Dwarf Bush Pea
Pultenaea humilis
Blunt Greenhood Orchid Pterostylis curta
Billy Buttons Pycnosorus chrysanthus
Drumsticks Pycnosorus globosus
Tufted silver
herb to 1m. There are
several globose flower heads on each plant in spring. May prefer
sandy areas.
Thorny Saltbush Rhagodia spinescens
Grey Sunray Rhodanthe corymbiflora
An attractive
annual herb to 30m. Best planted in mass and in heavy loam. Small,
white, daisy-like flowers in spring.
Red Swainson Pea
Swainsona procumbens (rare)
Leafy Templetonia Templetonia stenophylla
1m*.5m Loam/clay
An 'egg and bacon' plant. The specimen pictured was observed in
the Kamarooka section of Greater Bendigo National Park. Photo
contributed by David Ong of Echuca.
Native Violet
Viola hederaceaora
Low spreading perennial;
white flowers with purple centres. Similar to the introduced violet.
New Holland Daisy
Vittadinia cuneata
Tall Blue Bell Wahlenbergia stricta
Common in local bushland areas
and along roadsides is the Tall Blue Bell. It grows in profusion
at Stewart's Bridge. These are small, hardy, grass-like plants
with blue stars in spring.
Wahlenbergia
stricta (left) and Xerochrysum bacteatum (right) in
Terrick Terrick NP (D Ong)
Everlasting Daisy Xerochrysum bacteatum
Found in some bushland areas,
including the bushland parts of Terrick Terrick National Park,
this Everlasting Daisy is a suitable plant for a pot or garden.
Climbers
Common Apple Berry Billardiera scandens
Widely grown and available
from most native plant nurseries.
Narrow-leaf Clematis Clematis microphylla
Small climber Sand/loam
The most widespread Clematis in Australia. Widely grown and available
from most native plant nurseries.
Twining Glycine
Glycine tabacina
A weak climbing plant
inconspicuous amongst grasses. A few specimens grow in sandhills
between Echuca High and the Murray River. Difficult to grow in
cultivation.
Variable Glycine
Glycine clandestina.
A rambling plant to
2m which grows amongst grasses, sometimes on a leaf mound. Found
on creek banks and difficult to maintain in cultivation.
Native Jasmine
Jasminium lineare
Climber. Most soils
inc. sand/gravel This hardy climber is of limited ornamental value
but the fragrant flowers attract butterflies.
Yanga Bush
Maireana brevifolia
Heavy soils; tolerates salty
soils.
Native
Grasses
In recent years, native
grasses have become more appreciated. Some form an attractive
feature when planted in clumps. Native grasses require less water
and attention than introduced grasses and remain greenish all
year round but are not suitable for lawns. Weeding introduced
plants from such a display is a problem. Books on native grasses
have been published. Some dryland farmers claim that their carrying
capacity is higher with native grasses and that the problems of
drought are lessened a little. The list below is selective. Ko-warra
Transplants (address below) are propagating native grasses which
are suitable for lawns and which demand little water.
Weeping Grass
Microlaena spipiodes
A variety has been
developed by the CSIRO as a lawn grass and is being grown for
seed at Ko-warra Transplants (Echuca-Mitiamo Road).
Bristly Wallaby Grass Austrodanthonia setacea
Wallaby grasses are tufted
perennial grasses suitable to most soils. Wallaby Grass used to
be common. It is still common on large properties near Mitiamo.
High digestibility and high in protein: a good pasture grass.
Feather Speargrass
Austrostipa elegantissima (formerly Stipa elegantissima)
Attractive perennial
tussock grass to a metre in height suitable to most soils.
Rough Speargrass
Austrostipa scabra
Kerosene Grass Aristida ramosa
Brachycome ~ see above under Ground
cover and small plants
Windmill Grass
Chloris sp. Not
recommended for gardens but a good pasture grass.
Billy Buttons
Craspedia spp.
Dianella spp.
~ see above under Ground cover and small plants.
Everlastings ~ see above under Ground
cover and small plants
Scented Mat-rush Lomandra spp.
Several
species of Lomandra are indigenous to the area. These grass-like
plants are suitable for large containers and narrow garden beds.
Recommended.
Common Tussock Grass Poa labillardieri
Large
tufted perennial grass which is attractive in the garden, especially
around pools or when planted en mass.
Velvet Tussock Grass Poa morrisii
Decorative
tussock grass; smaller than Common Tussock Grass.
Kangaroo Grass
Themeda triandra (formerly Themeda australis)
One of the best native grasses
for cattle (highly digestible and high in protein and productive
~ up to 8t/ha). Was common but almost locally extinct now. A few
specimens survive along the railway line between Moama and Barnes
Crossing, An interesting grass suitable for the home garden. Cats
love to nibble at this grass.
Kangaroo
Grass (K Stockwell)
Note: generally speaking,
apart from the varieties being developed by the CSIRO (and available
through Ko-warra Transplants), native grasses are not suitable
for lawns. One species of Love Grass, however, has potential and
the CSIRO is trying to produce a suitable variant. Kidney grass
(Dichondra repens) has been tried with some degree of success
but is best blended in with other grasses. Sometimes incorrectly
regarded as native, Lippia (Phylla nodifolia) is not a native
grass and can be invasive. Many excellent native pasture grasses
are available through Ko-warra Transplants.
Trees
Most indigenous trees
are too large for a house garden. Some, however, are fine provided,
however, they are planted away from boundary fences and away from
the house.
Silver Wattle
Acacia dealbata
5m-25*3-10m Clay loam
Common in red gum forest near watercourses, this upright tree
has fern-like (bipinnate) leaves. Many birds like the seeds. Quick
growing and may sucker but not long-lived; not recommended
for town gardens.
Wallowa Acacia
euthycarpa
2-8m*2-5m. Variable,
hardy, rounded shrub or small tree with bright yellow flowers
in Spring.
Hickory (Lightwood) Wattle Acacia implexa
An attractive tree
to 30m with narrow sickle leaves and masses of cream flowers in
late summer.
Boree (also
called Weeping Myall) Acacia pendula
A handsome weeping tree
to 11m, and two-thirds this width, suitable for larger gardens,
parks and wide nature strips;
best propagated from seed. Used for fence posts, ornaments and
fuel. Slow growing but long-lived.
Golden Wattle
Acacia pycnantha
A small tree; Australia's floral emblem; okay
for larger home gardens.
Cooba or Native Willow Acacia salicina
15m*9m All soils. A broad-crowned
tree with drooping foliage and a wonderful shade tree for parks
and farms.
River Cooba
Acacia stenophylla
6m*4m Clay loam An
ornamental tree, associated with watercourses.
Bull Oak (Buloke)
Allocasuarina luehmannii
15m*15m Most soils. A medium
spreading tree with furrowed bark and wiry 'leaves'. A hardy windbreak
for clumped planting. Decreasing in abundance.
Drooping Sheoak
Allocasuarina verticillata
12m*12m A spreading 'leafless'
tree with curved grey-green branchlets and woody cones.
Slender Cypress Pine Callitris gracilis (now a separate species from C.
preissii which is the species found in WA)
20m in height by 5m
in width. Grows on sandhills in much of our region. Can blow down
in wind storms.
White Cypress Pine Callitris glaucophylla
20m in height by about
3m in width. Grows on sandhills and on rocky slopes. Can blow
down in wind storms.
Bull Mallee Eucalyptus behriana
Mallee to 8m in height
found in mallee areas of the region. Broad leaves.
Bull
Mallee (D Ong)
Blakely's Red Gum Eucalyptus blakelyi
Found to the east and
the south of Echuca, e.g. In Warby Range. Can grow on hills, away
from water courses, hence making it distinguishable from River
Red Gum which it resembles.
River Red Gum
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
25m*25m Flood-prone soils.
Far too large for the average home garden.
Black Box Eucalyptus
largiflorens
10-20m*15m Clay loam. An excellent
shade and shelter tree for farms. Common on clay river flats and
found in in most bushland areas in and around Echuca behind River
Red Gum, on areas which flood less frequently. The black bark
continues up the trunk and to the end of branches (cf Grey Box
where dark bark does not continue tpo end of branches).
Yellow Box
Eucalyptus melliodora
25m*15m Loam/sand
A handsome spreading tree which helps provide great honey. It
also provides nesting holes for native birds. Whilst this tree
may be ideal for parks, it is too large for town home gardens.
Yellow Box is the dominant tree of Allan Corry Reserve, Scobie
Road Wyuna.
Grey Box
Eucalyptus microcarpa
To 25m tall by 14m in width.
Loams and clay soils. Highly regarded as a shade tree for parks
and very large gardens. Common on local roadsides. Too large for
most town gardens.
Red Box Eucalyptus
polyanthemos
15m*12m Has broader leaves
and tends to be smaller than most other Box species. An attractive
tree.
Blue Mallee
Eucalyptus polybractea
8m*6m (variable) Loams, gravel
or clay soils. Typical of mallees, this one may have multiple
trunks. Suitable for most home gardens.
Ironbark
Eucalyptus tricarpa (E. Sideroxylon)
Grows in a belt between
the Grampians and Goulburn (NSW). Dark furrowed bark. A beautiful
tree for parks and large gardens. Around Chiltern, a national
park has been created especially to protect ironbarks. This tree
is also found in forests around Bendigo and in central Victoria.
Green Mallee
Eucalyptus viridis
10m*4m (variable according
to conditions) An very hardy and attractive mallee which may have
multiple stems. Better for the home garden than some of the others
but don't plant it too close to the neighbour's fence. Bull Mallee
(pictured) is a bit too large for the typical garden.
Moonah Melaleuca
lanceolata
7-10m high and up 45m in width.
A dense spreading shrub (tree) ideal for a shelter belt but too
big for the home garden. Cream bottle-brush flowers in summer.
Best grown away from foundations, fences and pipes.
Sugarwood
Myoporum platycarpum
A tree to 10m with drooping
foliage. It exudes a sugary substance from its bark. Can be woody
in appearance. Not recommended for town gardens.
Weeping Butterbush
Pittosporum angustifolium
3m*3m (larger
under ideal conditions). Most soils It's hard to understand why
this graceful small tree isn't more popular with local
gardeners. It has drooping branches and mottled, whitish bark.
It bears orange heart-shaped berries. It tends to sucker. It's
more attractive than Mock Orange (Pittosporum undulatum)
which is an environmental weed. Grows in Terrick Terrick State
Park, along local roadsides, in the Whipstick and in bushland
near Echuca Caravan Park. One of the few shrubs that grows on
the Nullarbor Plain.
Weeping
Pittosporum (K Stockwell)
Sandalwood
Santalum obtusifolium
3m*3m. A few specimens
still grow in the area, e.g. on Gulpa island and in Benarca State
Forest.
~
Notes by Keith Stockwell
Plants
suitable for garden cultivation
Plants:
the top 10A
plant tour around Moama
Whipstick Plants
WeedsPlant
Books Local
native plant nurseries
Australian National Botanic Gardens