But what is a local plant? It isn't always easy to find out, unless you are lucky enough to live in an area with a well-marked nature reserve! Books on native plants don't always go into much detail on exactly what localities the featured plants grow in. Nature reserves may include local plants, but they're rarely labeled. Local nurseries don't always stock native plants, let alone plants indigenous to the region. And in some places, such as the Illawarra, the variability of the terrain and rainfall levels mean that quite different assemblages of plants (and other species) can occur within a relatively small area.
The list of plants on this page doesn't solve the whole puzzle, of course. But it's a start - it covers plants that are indigenous to parts of the Illawarra, specifically the escarpment foothills around Balgownie, Mount Ousley and Mount Pleasant. Many of these plants grow in other parts of the Illawarra too. Many but not all of them are available from local nurseries, or through the Wollongong Botanic Garden Greenplan scheme.
A range of other resources is also available, including:
- the Illawarra Bushland Database, which has species lists (local and introduced species) for hundreds of sites around the region and
- the Grow Local booklet on local native plants prepared by Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama Councils.
Latin name (click for web link)
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Common name
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Notable features
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Planting and growing tips
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GROUND COVERS
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Ferns
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Maidenhair Fern
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Delicate lacy fronds, often grown as an indoor plant
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Likes a moist environment with part to full shade.
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Black Stem Maidenhair Fern
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A fairly large fern with fronds 60-120cm, decorative black stems
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Likes a moist environment with part to full shade.
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Rough Maidenhair Fern
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Fronds are fan-shaped, young fronds are often pinkish
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Likes a moist open environment with part to full shade and soil rich in organic matter. Can tolerate periods of dryness fairly well.
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Necklace Fern
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Delicate trailing habit, grows in rock crevices or as an epiphyte on trees/rocks
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Can spread quickly in suitable growing conditions.
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Gristle Fern
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A hardy fern, widespread in the Illawarra
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Grows in shade. Very hardy, will cope with dry conditions and neglect. Will grow under eucalypts or in patches of blady grass (see below).
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Prickly Rasp Fern
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New growth may be reddish
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Grows best part sun or shade; will grow in full sun but leaves may turn reddish.
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Fragrant Fern
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Fern to 0.5m, in the wild often grows in large mats on boulders or tree trunks
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Grows in dappled sun to shade.
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Sickle Fern
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Very ornamental fern
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Likes dappled sun to shade. Needs moist but not wet soil. (Could be confused with fishbone fern, which is not local to the Illawarra.)
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Common Brake
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Bright green leaves
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Likes shelter from wind and part to full shade.
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Jungle Brake
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Large fern, fronds can grow to 1-2m long
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Likes shelter from wind and part to full shade, grows naturally in rainforest areas.
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Herbs and creepers
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Beautiful tiny white flowers like miniature irises
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Likes damp and shady areas.
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Pairs of small white flowers
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Likes damp and shady areas.
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Pennywort
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Edible herb, also known as gotu kola
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Grows best in part shade or shade, likes rich sandy soil and constant moisture.
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Old Man’s Beard
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Masses of creamy white flowers
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Needs some overhead shade and deep, cool soil, well mulched. Can be grown up supports such as trellises or trees.
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Scurvy Weed
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Bright blue flowers
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May be confused with ‘Wandering Jew’, a common weed. Prefers heavier, moisture-retaining soils including clays. Can become weedy.
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A light twiner that can be planted under established trees or on a trellis, flowers almost all year round
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Grows in dappled and semi-shade, in moist well-drained soils.
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Kidney Weed
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Creeping herb with tiny white flowers, a good lawn substitute in shady areas
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Likes dappled or semi-shade.
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Wombat Berry
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Bright orange berries
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Hardy in a range of climates and soils, but grows in sheltered areas in part shade.
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Scrambling Lily
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Pretty climber with delicate leaves and small mauve to white flowers
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Grows in sheltered gullies in part shade.
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Northern Cranesbill
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Small herb with hairy leaves and pairs of pink geranium-type flowers
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Likes moist soils, will grow in sun or part shade.
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Love Creeper
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Slender twiner, with delicate sprays of pale purple flowers
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Likes dappled or part shade, and moist well-drained soils. Will grow well in a shady garden.
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Stinking Pennywort
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Creeping herb
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Prefers shady moist areas, where it is useful as a ground cover. Grows naturally on sandy or skeletal soils and in rock crevices.
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Pennywort
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Small perennial herb
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Prefers shady moist areas.
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Running Postman
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A vigorous climber with large red pea flowers, useful for growing on a pergola
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Tolerates a range of soils and moisture levels. If planted on the ground will form a dense carpet 2-3m across.
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Angled Lobelia
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Related to the lobelias sold commercially, with pretty pale purple flowers
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Will tolerate dense shade. Likes moist but not waterlogged soil.
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Milk Vine
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A vigorous climber that can grow up to 10m on suitable trees, flowers are scented
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Grows in forest understoreys and appreciates some shade.
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Water Pepper
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Leaves can be eaten and have a hot peppery taste
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Grows in wet soil or shallow water in depressions and wetland areas. Likes full sun to dappled shade.
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Cockspur Flower
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Pretty pale blue to violet flowers for most of the year
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Grows in woodland areas, in full sun to dappled shade. Copes with a range of soils.
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Pollia
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Plant will spill over walls and edges, its flowers have a pleasant fragrance
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Likes moist shady conditions, where it will grow quickly once established.
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Love Flower
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Small erect herb with furry leaves and pretty purple flowers
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Likes dappled or part sun.
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Bracken
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Establishes rapidly on cleared ground
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Tolerates a wide range of conditions. Can dominate the understorey and exclude other plants.
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Small daisy-like flowers
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Likes moist shady conditions, grows naturally in gullies.
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Snake Vine
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A vigorous scrambling vine, with pretty bunches of yellow-orange berries
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Likes to grow in shade. Will grow as a ground cover or climb up nearby plants.
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Warrigal Greens
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Leaves can be eaten like spinach
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Grows in sandy, well-drained soil.
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Bearded Tylophora
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Slender twiner, establishes quickly on cleared ground
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Prefers damp areas such as gullies.
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Trailing Speedwell
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Tiny, pretty purple-blue flowers
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Likes moist well-drained soils in moist to dryish woodlands and forests
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Native Violet
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Sweet purple flowers similar to those of the Common Violet (Viola odorata)
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Best grown in a rockery, in small pockets of deeper soil, as it has a thick central root. Grows well in dappled or part sun.
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Native Violet
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Purple and white flower, round leaves
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Will grow in heavy shade.
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GRASSES AND SEDGES
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Tall Sedge
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Profuse flower spikes, bright green leaves, may be useful for drying out damp spots
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Grows in areas that are mostly or always damp, e.g. near watercourses.
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Common Sedge
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Long arching flower spikes
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Grows in low-lying and hilly areas, tolerating drier conditions that Carex apressa.
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Erect sedge to 50cm high with spikelets
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Grows in and near rainforest.
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Blue Flax Lily, Paroo Lily
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Attractive blue flowers
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Very hardy adaptable plant. Prefers moist well-drained soil, but will cope in damp conditions. Prefers part shade.
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Hedgehog Grass
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Small furry seed heads on long stalks for much of the year
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Tolerates shade, prefers a clay soil.
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Wiry Panic
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A rough wiry grass, growing to 50cm high from a small tussock
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Prefers sandy or sandstone-derived soils.
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Blady Grass
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Narrow erect grass to 1.2m, often shorter
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Grows in poor soil, tends not to flower except under stress.
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Spiny-headed Mat-rush
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A grass-like lily to 1m, with fragrant spikes of cream and purple flowers in early spring
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Hardy and adaptable, grows in a range of soils, in full sun or part shade.
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Weeping Grass
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Tufted perennial grass that produces green growth all year round
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Prefers acidic soils. Some forms are suitable for growing as a lawn.
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Basket Grass
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A pretty little grass with a scrambling habit
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Grows in shaded gullies and forests. Could form part of a mixed herb/grass lawn.
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Slender Basket Grass
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Similar to O. aemulus, with thinner leaves
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As per Oplismenus aemulus, likes shady sites.
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Tussock Grass
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A fast-growing dense tussock grass to 1m, provides habitat for wildlife
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Copes well with clay soil. Excellent for stabilising clay-based slopes.
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SHRUBS
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Coffee Bush
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Small oval leaves and tiny bell shaped flowers, edible fruits, grows to 3m
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Part sun or dappled sun is best. Tolerates a range of soils and moisture levels.
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Lacy Tree Fern
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Tree fern to 15m, with a rough slender trunk and spreading crown
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A fast growing plant, it prefers a protected shady spot.
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Austral Indigo
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Slender upright shrub to 2m with pink or purple pea flowers
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Hardy in most well-drained soils. Prefers part sun but will grow in full sun. Can be pruned heavily for a more compact shape.
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Lance Beard-heath
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Bushy shrub 2-3m, with attractive lance-shaped leaves and groups of small white bell flowers
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Difficult to propagate and to maintain. Prefers a moist well-drained situation in semi-shade.
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Cockspur Thorn
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Straggling shrub or woody climber of variable height, tasty fleshy yellow-orange fruit, bird habitat
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Grows in a range of soils and moisture levels.
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Button Bush
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Erect shrub to about 1.5m, with sprays of creamy flowers
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Grows in full sun or part shade, in a range of well-drained soils. Can become rather straggly and needs annual pruning.
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Narrow-leaved Geebung
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Large shrub 2-5m, blackish papery bark which is reddish underneath, sprays of yellow flowers, fleshy green fruits
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Grows on well-drained sandy or clay soils, and prefers full sun, although it will also grow in part shade.
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Blunt Spurge
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Erect shrub to 2m, with a profusion of tiny flowers in Sep-Jan
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Likes well-drained soil in sheltered gullies, and semi shade to dappled shade.
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Orange Thorn
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Spiny shrub 1-3m high, bearing many edible orange fruits in autumn or winter, host plant for the Dull Copper Butterfly
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Grows naturally on shales and well-drained volcanic soils.
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Sweet Pittosporum
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Shrub to 3m, with small orange fruit, red seeds
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Hardy and adaptable species that can withstand dry periods. Can be invasive in bushland where it shades out other natives.
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Rough-fruited Pittosporum
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Shrub to 3m, with furry yellow-orange fruit, red seeds
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Not as hardy or invasive as P. undulatum.
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Elderberry Panax
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A variable shrub to 3m, with attractive grey-green foliage
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Grows in all but the sandiest soil, but needs regular moisture to thrive. Can be used as a screening plant.
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Native Peach
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Bushy shrub or small tree with masses of bright green leaves
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Can grow in full sun or part sun. Grows quickly and is useful for establishing native plants in cleared areas.
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Veiny Wilkiea
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Shrub or small tree to 8m, with fragrant flowers, bunches of black berries
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Very hardy and can be grown in sun or shade. Tolerant of a wide variety of soil types, so long as drainage is god.
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Sandfly Zieria
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Erect plant to 2m, with fragrant leaves reputed to repel insects, lots of white starry flowers in winter, host of the Orchard Swallowtail butterfly
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Grows in part or full sun as an understorey plant. Often seen as a small plant, to 0.5m or less, in very shady areas.
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TREES
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Two-veined Hickory
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Fast growing but fairly short lived wattle to 10-15m, with attractive twin-veined leaves
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Grows in sandy or basaltic soils, generally as part of the understorey. Does not like waterlogged soil.
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Maiden’s Wattle
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Handsome wattle to 15m with thin strappy leaves and long flower spikes
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Does not like waterlogged soil. Grows in full or part sun.
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Blackwood
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Tree to 25m with distinctive fissured grey-black bark
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Generally hardy and tolerates a range of soils.
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Lilly Pilly
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Tree to 20m with fleshy pink fruits that can be made into jam
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Prefers regular watering but will cope with dry periods once established. Responds well to pruning, can be used as a hedge.
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White Aspen
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Tree to 27m, with striking edible bright white fruit produced autumn-winter
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Grows best in well drained soil with part to full sun. Fruit are taste a little like oranges and can be made into jam.
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Medium tree to 15m, its seeds are eaten by parrots and cockatoos
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Needs moderate to good drainage and full sun to grow well.
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Red Ash
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Elegant tree to 20m, distinctive leaves with white undersides
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Likes well-drained soils and part shade to full sun (tends to be leggy if grown in part shade).
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Grey Myrtle
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To 20m with star-shaped white flowers, leaves have a cinnamon smell
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Prefers well-drained soils.
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Small tree 4-10m, with purplish-pink new growth, and white flowers that attract birds
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Likes moist soils but will cope with a range of soil types and conditions. A useful screening plant.
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Hairy Clerodendrum
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Large shrub or small tree to 10m, ‘tortured’ branch shapes, fruit attracts bowerbirds
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Grows in sandstone or clay soils, in part shade or shade.
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Black kKrrajong
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Shrub or tree 2-5m, handsome heart-shaped leaves, interesting round fruits, beautifully perfumed flowers
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Prefers a moist position with well-drained soil, copes with part shade. Has a strong suckering habit and spreads readily.
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Murrogun
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Tree to 25m, host to several butterflies, fruit eaten by topknot pigeons
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Tolerates a wide range of conditions. Makes a good screen plant.
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Grey Ironbark
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A pale-trunked iron bark to 30m with rough, furrowed bark
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Prefers well-drained fairly rich soils (and often grows over a heavy sub-soil) and an open, sunny position.
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Blackbutt
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Large eucalypt to 70m with stunning mottled bark and bright green leaves
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Grows best in sandy loam soils, but is also found on clays and volcanic soils.
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Large gum tree to 65m, stunning smooth bark shedding in short ribbons
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Generally grows in moist soils of moderate fertility.
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Bolwarra
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Shrub or small tree 3-5m, shiny green leaves, fragrant flowers, edible fruit
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Prefers a protected semi-shaded site. Often grows near watercourses.
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Sandpaper Fig
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Grows to 5m, the best-tasting of the native figs
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Likes moist soil and part shade to full sun. Can be pruned to keep a more compact shape.
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Cheese Tree
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Small tree 5-7m with fruits like small cheeses, food source for figbirds, pigeons and parrots
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Grows in full sun or part shade, but prefers part shade. Adaptable to most soil types, and likes moist soils.
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Cabbage Tree Palm
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Palm tree that can grow to 30m (usually much shorter)
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Grows in moist or even swampy sites and likes part to full shade.
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White Cedar
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Deciduous shade tree to 12m
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Grows best in full sun but will also grow in part shade. Copes with periods of low rainfall.
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White Euodia
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Shrub or slender tree to 27m, provides food for the Flower Beetle, host plant for the Orchard Swallowtail butterfly
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Grows on forest margins and prefers full sun.
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Veined Mock-olive
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Shrub or small tree to 6m
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Prefers part shade.
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Bleeding Heart
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Small tree to 8m, individual leaves turn blood-red before they fall off
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This is a fast-growing pioneer species that readily re-establishes on cleared ground. Likes good drainage and moist soil.
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Illawarra Plum Pine
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Majestic tree to 40m, ‘fruit’ (swollen black seed stems) can be used to make jam
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Needs well-drained soil.
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Muttonwood
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Tree to 15m, though often 2-3m in cultivation, its blue fruit attract many birds
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Can be grown in full sun or part shade, and tolerates a range of soil types.
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Scrub Stringybark
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Tree to 25m, with a channelled, fluted or buttressed base
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Can be grown in full sun or dappled shade, will tolerate some dry periods.
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Turpentine
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Large tree to 30m, distinctive ‘spaceship’ fruit/nuts
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Generally grows in deep sandy soil.
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Scentless Rosewood
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Small bushy tree to 7m with rose-coloured fruits eaten by king parrots
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Generally grows in part or dappled shade, in medium to rich soil.
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Tree Heath
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Large shrub or small tree to 13m, distinctive soft pinkish-red new growth
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Likes well drained soil, will tolerate sun or shade. Can be grown as a hedge or screen plant.
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