Pioneer Plants
CategoryA list of Pioneer Plants for the australia environment.
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Red Cedar
$2.75 ($2.75-$18.75 choose a size)
Fast growing deciduous rainforest tree highly valued for its timber in earlier days. Has now become rare. Easily grown on moist soils of eastern Australia.
Buy 8+ @$2.75ea usually:$4.90ea
Tulipwood
$4.90 ($4.90-$17.75 choose a size)
An attractive spreading tree with glossy leaflets. Flowers are insignificant. Showy fruits occur during winter and are two-lobed, yellow or red with large black seeds.
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Grevillea Silky Oak
$1.90 ($1.90-$18.75 choose a size)
Very fast growing slender tree with ferny foliage and bright yellow toothbrush flowers. Grows in a wide range of conditions including southern and inland areas. Good indoor plant.
Buy 16+ @$1.90ea usually:$4.90ea
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Macaranga
$14.90 ($7.50-$14.90 choose a size)
Very fast growing, vigorous native rainforest tree for exposed sites. The broad heart shaped leaves are distinctive and ornamental. Suitable for shelterbelts, initial rainforest regeneration and as a background foliage plant in the garden.
Buy 1+ @$14.90ea usually:$17.90ea Aramex Free Freight
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Black bean
$14.75 ($14.75-$14.75 choose a size)
Attractive native riparian rainforest tree with a handsome rounded crown of glossy dark green foliage and profuse flushes of yellow and red pea-like flowers during summer. The timber is highly prized. Bird attracting. Large and spreading in the open to 10m but can reach 40m in its native habitat. First Australians used the seeds to make a damper after much preparation to remove the toxic substances by cooking, grinding and leaching in water.
Buy 1+ @$14.75ea usually:$18.75ea Aramex Free Freight
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Cudgerie
$4.90 ($4.90-$18.90 choose a size)
Fast growing tall tree with large leaves and up-turned branches. Hardy in most conditions but prefers plenty of moisture. One of the best pioneer trees. A butterfly attracting tree.
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Ivory Curl Tree
$14.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
This tall shrub or small tree flowers in its third year. It is often grown as a street tree or specimen where its sweetly scented cream flower spikes can be appreciated. Retains its compact shape when grown in full sun. Frost tender when young.
Lilly Pilly - Magenta Cherry
$18.90 ($4.90-$18.90 choose a size)
Most popular native hedging plant in Australia. Attractive dense glossy new growth. Edible fruit that is crunchy and light with a refreshing tang. A very tasty bushfood. Rarely is the fruit astringent. Originally restricted to a region between the Mid north coast and Jervis Bay, but now widely planted.
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Brown Kurrajong
$3.40 ($3.40-$9.75 choose a size)
Beautiful when in flower, this small, fast pioneer species has an open spreading habit and horizontal branches layered with cream flower srays in December. Very hardy, withstands full sun. Provides a useful shelter for more tender rainforest trees.
Buy 4+ @$3.40ea usually:$4.90ea
Fig - Sandpaper Birds Eye
$24.00 ($18.75-$24.00 choose a size)
An outstanding selection of the native Sandpaper fig. Small, red fleshed fig with good flavour. The fruits ripen from red to dark-red almost black and are sweet and floral tasting. Heavy cropping and no splitting in wet weather. Ideal native fig for a wide range of climates. The leaves are rough and sandpapery and were used by Indigenous Australians to finish wooden tools.
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Fig - Sandpaper
$3.75 ($3.75-$18.75 choose a size)
This small fig occurs along watercourses along the east coast of Australia. An attractive small tree with sandpapery leaves and edible fruit. Grows densely in full sun, less so in shade. Very good for stream bank stabilisation.
Buy 4+ @$3.75ea usually:$4.95ea
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Kurrajong
$3.90 ($3.90-$14.90 choose a size)
Seeds can be eaten after roasting or ground into a flour. The tuberous root is nutritious with an agreeable taste. A hardy tree for drier sites frequently grown for shade or stock fodder and as street trees in inland towns. Trees have a straight stout trunk and produce cream flowers in spring. Indigenous Australians used the bark fibres to make rope and string, the wood was used for fire sticks. A common tree in drier rainforests of the east coast.
Buy 4+ @$3.90ea usually:$4.90ea
Lilly Pilly - Riberry
$19.90 ($4.90-$19.90 choose a size)
The small leaved lilly pilly produces masses of red pear shaped fruit. Its handsome purple-red growth makes this lilly pilly one of the favourites as an Edible Hedge. The fruit exhibits a juicy but slightly acidic finish. Which is reminiscent of cinnamon and cloves. It is a very popular ingredient in wild-food dishes.
Guioa
$3.90 ($3.90-$9.90 choose a size)
Common pioneer tree across the east coast. Makes a versatile fast growing, bird attracting tree for rainforest regeneration plots. Do not plant near dwellings as branches are brittle.
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Brush box
$3.40 ($3.40-$12.90 choose a size)
These trees resemble a eucalypt in appearance but the large green leaves and flowers are distinctive. It has the largest trunk diameter of most rainforest trees. The showy flowers have showy white petals. Fruit is bell-shaped with three valves. Australian Timber Database
Buy 4+ @$3.40ea usually:$4.90ea
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Red Ash
$3.40 ($3.40-$17.75 choose a size)
This tree is a natural colonizer in a wide range of conditions. Fruits are round and black and the mealy flesh encloses two hard capsules. These usually fall, leaving red seeds attached to the twigs for months.
Buy 4+ @$3.40ea usually:$4.90ea
Swamp turpentine
$3.90 ($3.90-$9.90 choose a size)
Excellent farm tree for shelter and shade. Grows in most soils including swampy situations. Frost resistant. Older trees provide an ideal site for birds and wildlife shelter.
Pink Euodia
$14.75 ($4.95-$18.75 choose a size)
A fast growing native rainforest tree with masses of pink flowers along the branches in summer, attracting many species of birds and butterflies. The Euodia is the host tree for the Ulysses butterfly and may flower when only a year old.
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Native Frangipani
$4.90 ($4.90-$18.75 choose a size)
Clusters of very fragrant, cream flowers form on this fast growing, Australian native rainforest tree. Flowers form in spring, wafting scent right through the garden. Terminal flowers age from white to a golden yellow. Highly recommended hardy specimen tree, with a narrow upright form.
White Cedar
$14.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
Hardy deciduous native tree, suitable as a quick growing shade tree. The fragrant lilac flowers and yellow fruits of the White Cedar make it an appealing ornamental tree. It is poisonous to humans and dogs, but birds and possums are fond of the fruit. Semi-deciduous. 13m
Native Olive
$14.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
Bushy tree to 30m with a sparse canopy.The trunk has smooth grey brown bark.The blue-black fruit are oval, the fruit are bird attracting and the tree is an excellent butterfly host. This is a fast growing pioneer species.
Native Rosella
$4.90 ($4.90-$14.75 choose a size)
Hibiscus heterophyllus is a tall erect shrub. The flowers may be white, pale pink or yellow with a large crimson central flute and are up to about 15 cm across. The leaves are either narrow, broader or deeply lobed, up to 15 cm long. 6m. Unlike Rosella the Native rosella has no edible calyx however the flowers and leaves are still edible. It is also used to make rope.
Native Mulberry
$4.95 ($4.95-$17.90 choose a size)
This is an excellent tree for rainforest restoration as it attracts many birds and insects. It has small, whiteedible fruits that are sweet and hold their seeds on the outside like strawberries. Trees are dioecious, having male and female flowers on separate trees.
Aspen - White
$17.75
A small to medium rainforest tree with striking bright white fruit that is produced during winter. A good food source for birds and can be eaten by humans. Fruits have a orange flavour with a pleasant aromatic peppery flavour.
Bleeding Heart
$4.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
A handsome shrub or small tree with soft green leaves above and grey/green underneath. The mature leaves often turn a dark red and can stand out in the landscape. The two-lobed bluish capsular fruits ripen from December through to March. Growth to about 6m. This tree is common in regrowth of disturbed areas and on the margins of forest
Celerywood
$17.90
A very elegant bird attracting tree that is fast growing. It is a very useful pioneer tree used for rainforest regeneration projects.
Queensland Maple
$9.90 ($3.95-$9.90 choose a size)
Medium to large handsome tree with compact crown and dark leaves. Hardy and fast growing. The attractive, figured timber makes it a valuable species for agro-forestry. Excellent tree for reforestation.
Pencil Cedar
$14.90 ($14.90-$14.90 choose a size)
Mature pencil cedars are sparsely branched with an umbrella-type canopy of long leaves. Very fast growing with a year growth rate of up to 3m. A handsome foliage plant for subtropical gardens and useful indoor specimen when young
Lilly Pilly - Giant water gum
$4.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
The trunk is generally buttressed with a large diameter and the canopy can spread over almost the same distance as the height of the tree. Sometimes cultivated as an ornamental but too large for household plantings.
Koda
$12.90 ($4.90-$12.90 choose a size)
Fast growing medium tree with scented flowers and golden-yellow bird-attractive berries. Briefly deciduous. Hardy.
Blue Tongue
$12.90 ($4.90-$18.75 choose a size)
Widespread native shrub with large pink to mauve flowers over many months. Very attractive, dark green leaves and sweet, edible blue-black berries. Its scientific name Melastoma, means black (mela) tongue (stoma). Often confused with the exotic Asian Melastoma, which has five leaf veins, plus the two fine intramarginal vein included. Native Melastoma only has 3, plus 2 fine intramarginal veins. Very hardy.
Tuckeroo
$4.90 ($4.90-$17.75 choose a size)
An attractive, fast growing and hardy small to medium tree well suited to coastal areas. Good wildlife food source. Makes a excellent street tree or pioneer in reforestation.
Grevillea - White Oak
$12.90 ($4.90-$18.75 choose a size)
A rainforest tree to 8m The tree is covered in creamy cylindrical flower spikes in late spring. Large glossy green leaves divided when young. Underside is gold changing to a silvery grey. Attractive all year round.
Native Elderberry - Sambucus australasica
$2.95
The native elderberry is an attractive graceful understory shrub seldom seen as a 10m tree. The small yellow fruits are edible with soft, juicy, sweet flesh although they are a little bland in flavour. It requires moist soil and some protection, in its natural habitat it is found along watercourses in warm temperate, subtropical and dry rainforest.
Tulip Satinwood
$4.90 ($4.90-$14.75 choose a size)
Occurs naturally North N.S.W. to South Qld in dry rainforests. A tree with attractive foliage, red flowers and brown berries. Pale yellow timber valued for cabinet work. Excellent landscape tree.
Purple Pea Bush
$4.90
A small to medium evergreen Australian shrub that gets small 1cm purple flowers in Aug to Sept. Leaves are green on top with a golden brown underside.
Turpentine tree
$4.90
Ideal windbreak tree or excellent specimen for parks. Provides insect and water resistant timber.Australian Timber Database
Batswing coral
$4.90
Scarlet pea-flowers in spring occur usually when the tree is leafless making this an attractive addition to any garden. Birds are attracted to the showy flowers. Growing 6 to 10mthey are commonly seen in dry rainforests. The thorny trunk is another interesting feature of this tree.
White Bolly Gum
$14.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
Grows up to 12 metres high. It has glossy, elliptic to obovate leaves which have whitish, waxy undersides. Younger leaves and branchlets are covered with brown hairs. It has small, 2 mm long flowers followed by rounded, black fruits which are about 8 mm in diameter and ripen from mid-autumn to early winter. In a forest, it is recognisable from its dense shade cast by the large leaves, and in the open it has a beautifully rounded crown.
Red Kamala
$3.90
Common tree in regenerating rainforest areas, Very hardy tree to 10m. Suitable tree for reforestation purposes, expecially in difficult postions
Water Gum
$2.95 ($2.95-$9.90 choose a size)
An attractive tree with dark glossy leaves and a dense crown. As a name suggests it prefers wet areas in rainforests such as creek banks. Water Gum provides food for the blue triangle butterfly. Fruiting occurs in Autumn.
Red olive berry
$9.90
This is a handsome fast growing small tree frequently seen in suburban gardens. Trees are annually festooned with large quantities of the small bright orange fruits, which are a spectacular sight on mature specimens.
Cheese Tree
$2.95 ($2.95-$12.90 choose a size)
Fast growing bushy tree with spreading crown of smooth shining leaves. Pretty foliage and red fruits shaped like miniature round cheeses that are highly attractive to birds. A hardy pioneer tree which grows best in full sun. 6 to 8m
Australian Daphne
$1.95 ($1.95-$9.90 choose a size)
Dense Evergreen small to medium tree with sweetly perfumed cream flowers September to November, followed by showy orange berries in winter. Shiny, wavy edged leaves.
Whalebone Tree
$3.95 ($3.95-$9.90 choose a size)
This is a graceful tree with weeping foliage that is commonly seen in warmer sub tropical, dry and riverine rainforests of NSW and QLD
Queensland Hollywood
$3.90 ($3.90-$17.75 choose a size)
An attractive shrub with flowers regularly in summer. The leaves are a dull dark green with a pale midrib and maroon stems. Fruit is a round orange capsule than hangs on the tree in clusters late summer, autumn. Very pretty
Aspen - Silver
$9.90
A rainforest tree in the citrus family. Common names include doughwood, snowwood, and mushyberry as well as silver aspen. The fruit is a moist, fleshy drupe.
Cissus antarctica - Water Vine
$2.95
Great ground cover or screening plant that is very hardy, however looks its best when watered and feed well.Common food source for rainforest pigeons in late summer.
Alectryon - Hairy Birds Eye
$2.95
The fleshy aril is quite pleasing to the taste, although there isnt much of it; but the seeds are cyanide collectors, and toxic, especially if chewed. Great caution should be exercised if you are tempted to try these fruits.
Myrsine variabilis - Muttonwood
$2.95
The muttonwood is a bird attracting shrub or small tree, it can grow to 15m in it natural state but is more commonly seen as a 2-3 m shrub in cultivation. It makes a fantastic screen with its bird attractind small blue fruits.
Ribbonwood
$4.90
Fast growing and attractive the ribbonwood is an excellent tree to establish a rainforest garden around and is an essential regeneration tree. Can grow to 40m.
Jackwood
$3.95 ($3.95-$12.90 choose a size)
Medium to large tree with dense crown of dark leaves, paler underneath. Black wrinkled fruits are attractive to birds. Hardy in most areas, including southern Australia. Moderately fast growing.
Hairy Clerodendrum
$2.95
A fantastic pioneer tree that attracts bird, insects and butterflies. It does require a shady moist position to look its best. New shoots are tinged with purple and both the flowers and fruits are highly attractive.
Scentless Rosewood
$2.95 ($2.95-$9.90 choose a size)
This is a very bushy tree used in regrowth areas. It features reddish-brown, fine and scaly and a distinctive aqua hue to some of the flakes. The trunk is often crooked. The red fruit is an important food tree for birds during the spring months.
Pink Ash
$3.95
Very fast small to medium tree. Excellent pioneer species with open crown of rounded green leaves with silver backs. Bird attractive. Full sun.
Alectryon - Beach
$2.95
A small tree up to 11 metres in height. Only found growing near the sea from as far south as Newcastle to Maryborough in Queensland.
Mallotus discolour - Yellow Kamala
$3.95
Native to regrowth and rainforest areas form the Clarence River NSW to Townsville. A compact admirable garden tree to 15 m with bright yellow fruits, can be used as a yellow dye.
Rhodamnia rubescens - Scrub Turpentine
$2.95
Variable in size from a large shrub to a medium tree depending on conditions usually a small tree. Interesting three-veined leaves, and orange to black fruit very attractive to birds. Hardy in full sun.WarningThis species is susceptible to Myrtle Rust (Puccinia psidii s.l.)It has been observed in the field with moderate to severe damage and will require ongoing treatment to control the rust. For more information follow this link.http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/myrtle-rust
Rhodamnia maideniana - Smooth Scrub Turpentine
$2.95
Native to Nth NSW and Sth Qld. It is rare both in the wild and in cultivation, this beautiful ornamental scrub prefers a semi shaded position in moist position. Striking bright red new growth and favourite to the birds.WarningThis species is susceptible to Myrtle Rust (Puccinia psidii s.l.)It has been observed in the field with moderate to severe damage and will require ongoing treatment to control the rust. For more information follow this link.http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/myrtle-rust
Rhodamnia argentea - Silver Myrtle
$2.95
Small to medium-sized tree. Green glossy leaves with a dull whitish underside. Attractive black round fruits Warning This species is susceptible to Myrtle Rust It has been observed in the field with moderate to severe damage and will require ongoing treatment to control the rust. For more information follow this link. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/plant/myrtle-rust
Polyscias australiana - Ivory Basswood
$2.95
Small erect tree, 3-8m, flower profuse tiny in very open greenish sprays, foliage is pinnate appearing almost palm like, interesting contrast in form, fast growing in sun no doubt slow in moderate shade, well worth trying.
Aspen - Hairy acronychia
$3.90
Fast growing and adaptable tree with broad, furry, trifoliate leaves, white flowers and clear yellow aromatic fruits with a sweet, refreshing and fragrant flavour. Prefers good soil and protection from frost.
Popular in Category: Pioneer Plants
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Red Cedar
$2.75 ($2.75-$18.75 choose a size)
Fast growing deciduous rainforest tree highly valued for its timber in earlier days. Has now become rare. Easily grown on moist soils of eastern Australia.
Buy 8+ @$2.75ea usually:$4.90ea
Tulipwood
$4.90 ($4.90-$17.75 choose a size)
An attractive spreading tree with glossy leaflets. Flowers are insignificant. Showy fruits occur during winter and are two-lobed, yellow or red with large black seeds.
Click Choose above to view Specials
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Grevillea Silky Oak
$1.90 ($1.90-$18.75 choose a size)
Very fast growing slender tree with ferny foliage and bright yellow toothbrush flowers. Grows in a wide range of conditions including southern and inland areas. Good indoor plant.
Buy 16+ @$1.90ea usually:$4.90ea
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Macaranga
$14.90 ($7.50-$14.90 choose a size)
Very fast growing, vigorous native rainforest tree for exposed sites. The broad heart shaped leaves are distinctive and ornamental. Suitable for shelterbelts, initial rainforest regeneration and as a background foliage plant in the garden.
Buy 1+ @$14.90ea usually:$17.90ea Aramex Free Freight
Special
Black bean
$14.75 ($14.75-$14.75 choose a size)
Attractive native riparian rainforest tree with a handsome rounded crown of glossy dark green foliage and profuse flushes of yellow and red pea-like flowers during summer. The timber is highly prized. Bird attracting. Large and spreading in the open to 10m but can reach 40m in its native habitat. First Australians used the seeds to make a damper after much preparation to remove the toxic substances by cooking, grinding and leaching in water.
Buy 1+ @$14.75ea usually:$18.75ea Aramex Free Freight
Special
Cudgerie
$4.90 ($4.90-$18.90 choose a size)
Fast growing tall tree with large leaves and up-turned branches. Hardy in most conditions but prefers plenty of moisture. One of the best pioneer trees. A butterfly attracting tree.
Click Choose above to view Specials
Ivory Curl Tree
$14.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
This tall shrub or small tree flowers in its third year. It is often grown as a street tree or specimen where its sweetly scented cream flower spikes can be appreciated. Retains its compact shape when grown in full sun. Frost tender when young.
Lilly Pilly - Magenta Cherry
$18.90 ($4.90-$18.90 choose a size)
Most popular native hedging plant in Australia. Attractive dense glossy new growth. Edible fruit that is crunchy and light with a refreshing tang. A very tasty bushfood. Rarely is the fruit astringent. Originally restricted to a region between the Mid north coast and Jervis Bay, but now widely planted.
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Brown Kurrajong
$3.40 ($3.40-$9.75 choose a size)
Beautiful when in flower, this small, fast pioneer species has an open spreading habit and horizontal branches layered with cream flower srays in December. Very hardy, withstands full sun. Provides a useful shelter for more tender rainforest trees.
Buy 4+ @$3.40ea usually:$4.90ea
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Plum Pine
$12.90 ($7.50-$49.00 choose a size)
Attractive rainforest pine that bears seeds on swollen edible stalks - which is the 'plum'. The seeds get darker the riper they are. The purple 'fruit' are grape-like with a sweet, juicy, soft jelly-like pulp with a subtle plum flavour. The slightly resinous fruit can be used for both sweet and savoury recipes. It is an attractive hedge due to its contrasting dark and lime green foliage. The timber is popular in cabinet making. The trees are either male or female so planting 3 or more together will increase your chances of getting both a male and female tree which then allows for pollination and fruit set. They are from an ancient family of trees originating in the time of Gondwana, growing now in the rainforests of the east coast of Australia. The tree grows quite slowly and can take 8-15 years to fruit.
Buy 2+ @$12.90ea usually:$17.75ea
Customer Tips & Reviews Pioneer Plants
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Waterhousea floribunda - Weeping lilly pilly
OR waterhousia unipunctata which IS BEST for Brisbane??
