A Comprehensive Guide to Native Plants of the Darwin Region
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
COMMON SCIENTIFIC SPECIES GROWTH HABIT GENERAL DESCRIPTION WILDLIFE PICTURE NAME NAME HEIGHT/WIDTH ATTRACTED TREES Brown Acacia lamprocarpa 4m to 12m shrub or Small tree with dense round Insectivorous birds, salwood, tree growing crown, flowers July – granivorous birds, Brush environment October, pale-yellow dense butterflies, small ironbark dependent. cylindrical spikes. mammals, reptiles. Wattle, Hickory wattle Black wattle, Acacia auriculiformis 10m to 20 m, The pods are first straight or Insectivorous birds, favourable sites to Earpod Wattle slightly curved but as they nesting birds, 30m, ripen, they turn from yellow granivorous birds, Fast growing, to brown and curl up, then butterflies, small spreading tree with split open. The black seeds mammals, reptiles dense foliage, hang from short curled (incl. tree goannas) flowers April to July, orange stalks when the pod Birds find these yellow dense splits open. Aborigines of seeds highly cylindrical spikes Australia have traditionally attractive and eat The tiny yellow harvested the seeds of some them. Thus the plant flowers are fragrant. acacia species as food. is very quickly These are ground into flour dispersed. and eaten as a paste or baked into a cake. The seeds can contain 25% more protein than common cereals like rice or wheat, and their hard seed coats mean acacia seeds also store well for long periods. Club-leaf Acacia hemignosta Small tree Flowers are yellow, globular, Insectivorous birds, wattle 3m to 8m May to August. It grows in granivorous birds, open woodland on flat or butterflies, reptiles. undulating country. North coast Acacia leptocarpa 7m to 10m Medium sized tree with full Insectivorous birds, wattle, rounded crown, flowers June granivorous birds, Mangarr – September, yellow dense butterflies, small mangal cylindrical spikes mammals, reptiles. bark fissured. Grows best in black soils and seasonally inundated plains. Deep gold Acacia torulosa 4m to 7m Small tree with erect foliage Insectivorous birds, wattle and open crown, flowers May granivorous birds, – July, bright yellow dense butterflies, reptiles. cylindrical spikes. Red Ash Alphitonia excelsa 5m to 10m Small tree with layered Leaves, wood, bark branches and open crown. and roots used by Small creamy scented Aboriginals for flowers. Common in open medical purposes. forest. Leaves used as a bush soap. Crushed leaves and roots used as a fish poison. COMMON SCIENTIFIC SPECIES NAME GROWTH HABIT GENERAL WILDLIFE PICTURE NAME HEIGHT/WIDTH DESCRIPTION ATTRACTED TREES Milkwood Alstonia actinophylla 15m to 20m Erect stately tree with thick trunk, dense crown and rough corky bark, Small creamy green flowers and milky white sap. Found in open forest. Aboriginals used sap to treat sores and as ceremonial paint. Milky sap can cause blindness if in contact with eyes. Wing-leaf Atalaya variifolia 2m to 10m Slender tree with Insectivorous whitewood pendulous branches, birds, butterflies, flowers September – small mammals, November, dense cream- reptiles. white clusters. Grows well in sandstone, Stony hillsides, outcrops, along creeks. Liniment tree Asteromyrtus 4m to 10m Multi-stemmed tree with Nectar birds, (Myrtle family) symphyocarpa pendulous branches, insectivorous flowers periodically, birds, butterflies, yellow or pink globular reptiles. heads. Asteromyrtus symphyocarpa are native to northern Australia and Papua New Guinea, and their oil, like that of eucalyptus, is used to treat various ailments. Fresh water Barringtonia acutangula 5m to 8m Multi-stemmed spreading Insectivorous mangrove tree flowering periodically, birds, butterflies, numerous pendulous red small mammals, flowers. reptiles. Bush currant, Buchanania arborescens 10m to 15m Slender tree with dense Insectivorous Little gooseberry shiny evergreen foliage birds, frugivorous tree and conical crown, birds, nesting flowers August – October, birds, butterflies, numerous small yellow to small mammals, white clusters, then purple reptiles. berries. Green plum, Buchanania obovata 4m to10m Large-leaved small Insectivorous Wild mango deciduous tree flowering birds, frugivorous July – November, birds, butterflies, numerous small cream small mammals, flowers, then green edible reptiles. fruit. COMMON SCIENTIFIC SPECIES NAME GROWTH HABIT GENERAL DESCRIPTION WILDLIFE PICTURE NAME HEIGHT/WIDTH ATTRACTED TREES Northern cypress Callitris intratropica 15m to18m Straight tree with conical Insectivorous pine crown, male and female birds, nesting flowers, then woody birds, small cones. mammals, reptiles. Canarium australianum 15m to 25m Large deciduous tree Edible seeds. with spreading crown. Inner bark used Male and female trees. by Aborigines to Small cream flowers, stop bleeding. which are larger and Infusion from denser on male trees bark drunk to than female. treat diarrhoea and stomach pains. Wood used for furniture. Wild orange, Capparis umbonata 4m to 7m Slender tree with Insectivorous Native drooping leaves and birds, butterflies, pomegranate branches, large to 10 cm small mammals, white flowers with long reptiles. stems. Flowering from February - December, Woody yellow or red berry like fruit.. Roots and Bark are used for treatment of open sores. Infusion of the inner bark used to treat sore throat, or stomach ailments. Fruit is sweet and eaten raw. Corky bark, Carallia brachiata 5m to 10m Spreading ascending Insectivorous Bush currant, branches, flowering July- birds, frugivorous Freshwater September, small birds, butterflies, mangrove clusters of cream/green small mammals, flowers, then red berries. reptiles. Ghost gum Corymbia bella 8-15m Spreading crown with Nectar birds, drooping foliage, flowers insectivorous August - December, birds, butterflies, small cream-white small mammals, clusters. reptiles. Tuckeroo, 5m to 10m Small evergreen with Insectivorous Cupaniopsis Beach tamarind, shiny dark green leaves, birds, butterflies, anacardioides Carrot wood flowers July – small mammals, September, small white reptiles. to yellow, then yellow berries that expose red- skinned black seeds. COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC SPECIES GROWTH HABIT GENERAL DESCRIPTION WILDLIFE PICTURE NAME HEIGHT/WIDTH ATTRACTED TREES Cycad Cycas armstrongii 2m to 4m NT Threatened species, Insectivorous birds, deciduous palm-like plant reptiles. flowering March – September, male rusty cone and female pendulous seed spikes. Denhamia Denhamia obscura 5m to 10m Pendulous branches and Insectivorous birds, rounded crown, flowers July butterflies, small – September, small creamy- mammals, reptiles. green , then yellow fruit splitting to expose red seeds. Ironwood Erythrophleum 12m to 18m Semi-deciduous spreading Nectar birds, chlorostachys tree with dense crown, insectivorous birds, flowers August – November, butterflies, small small cream-green flowers in mammals, reptiles. bottlebrush arrangement. White gum, Eucalyptus 5m to 10m Deciduous small tree, often Nectar birds, Salmon gum tintinnans multi-stemmed, new bark insectivorous birds, salmon colour butterflies, small Flowering: June – mammals, reptiles. September, small cream clusters. Northern Eucalyptus bigalerita 10m to 18m Dense spreading crown, Nectar birds, salmon gum partly deciduous, large heart insectivorous birds, shaped leaves nesting birds, Flowering: June – butterflies, small September, scented small mammals, reptiles. cream clusters. Cabbage gum Corymbia polysciada 5m to13m Deciduous with compact Nectar birds, spreading crown, flowering insectivorous birds, August – November, butterflies, small numerous cream clusters. mammals, reptiles. Corymbia, Corymbia 7m to 10m Crooked spreading crown, Nectar birds, foelscheana flowers October to May, insectivorous birds, Eucalypt cream clusters, then woody butterflies, small urn-shaped pods. mammals, reptiles. COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC SPECIES GROWTH HABIT GENERAL DESCRIPTION WILDLIFE PICTURE NAME HEIGHT/WIDTH ATTRACTED TREES Large-leaved Corymbia grandifolia 10m to 18m Deciduous with large dense crown, Nectar birds, cabbage gum flowers September - November, insectivorous birds, cream clusters. nesting birds, butterflies, small mammals, reptiles. 8m to 12m Deciduous with open crown, flowers Nectar birds, Round-leaf Corymbia latifolia bloodwood November – March, cream-white in insectivorous birds, groups. butterflies, small mammals, reptiles. 10m to 15m Broad spreading crown, flowers Nectar birds, Eucalyptus, Corymbia polycarpa March to July, small cream-white insectivorous birds, Gum nut tree clusters. butterflies, small mammals, reptiles. 10m to 20m Spreading crown, woolly fibrous Nectar birds, Darwin Eucalyptus miniata woollybutt bark to half trunk height, flowering insectivorous birds, May – August, numerous orange granivorous birds clusters, barrel shaped seed (esp. Red-tailed capsule black Cockatoo) Flowers are a stunning orange with butterflies, small bright yellow-tipped stamens and mammals, reptiles. are responsible for the scientific Native bees often name: miniatus is the Latin word for nest in branches `flame´. The barrel-shaped, ribbed which have been gum nuts grow to 6cm in length and hollowed out by almost as wide. They are popular in termites, providing flower arrangements. `sugarbag´ - a traditional source of honey. Scarlet gum Eucalyptus phoenicea 7m to 10m Slender tree with light open crown, Nectar birds, flowering: April to July, pale yellow insectivorous birds, to scarlet dense umbel. butterflies, small mammals, reptiles. Rough leaved 3m to 8m Small tree with opposite leaves Nectar birds, bloodwood, covered in bristly hairs, flowers insectivorous birds, October to