Lomatia arborescens - Tree Lomatia

Plants that only grow in nature at high elevation always intrigue me as most of the time they grow quite well when planted at lower elevations.

This one is confined in nature to above 1000 meters and yet it grows quite happily on my river flat. Lomatia belongs to the Proteaceae family making them first cousins to things like Grevillea and although not as showy as Grevillea they do have a subtle uniqueness that helps them stand out. The name Lomatia is derived from the Greek word lomation meaning a small fringe referring to the winged seed and arborescens is a Latin word meaning becoming tree like. In nature this one can grow up to 25 metres tall with a stem diameter of around 50cm. The furthest south that it occurs is recorded as Mt Allyn (Bald Knob) but I have actually recorded it in the lower part of Masseys Creek State Forest. So far I have only planted one out on my riverbank and I am surprised as to how well it is growing, slow yes but getting bigger every year despite heatwaves and very little water in dry times. It usually flowers in January and is covered in native bees with the seed fully ripe about May. The flowers have a subtle scent and while not showy have a uniqueness all their own and flowering in January is quite a bonus so far as I and the bees are concerned anyway.

There are several other species of Lomatia but only one other variety is tree like and that is Lomatia fraseri, the Silky Lomatia that occurs from the Otway Ranges in Victoria to the New England Range escarpment at Main Range in Queensland and west to Mt Kaputar National Park. Others of note are Lomatia myricoides, the River Lomatia which occurs from the coast and ranges in Victoria to the Wyong area in NSW and occurs in most gullies, creeks and river flats and the other species of note is Lomatia silaifolia, the Crinkle Bush. This one has very distinct, highly divided leaves and a tall rigid flower spike of very Grevillea like white flowers and occurs on the coast, mountains and ranges from the Sydney region right up into Queensland but is not as common as the others. All in all the Lomatia make a distinct family that fills in that summer flowering time.