Subtropical to tropical Australian native tree, reaching 35 m, with sweet-scented mahogany-coloured timber that was the most prized cabinetry hardwood of colonial Australia. Now scarce in the wild due to historic over-cutting and tip moth.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 9–12 | −6.7 °C to 15.6 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H2 | 1 °C to 5 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 9 | −1 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 4–7 | 0 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Heartwood — fine, fragrant, easily worked, red-brown mahogany colour — the principal Australian cabinetry timber of the 19th century, behind doors and furniture in heritage buildings across eastern Australia
- WARNING: Wild populations were largely destroyed by 19th-century cedar getters; modern plantations struggle because the cedar tip moth (Hypsipyla robusta) destroys leading shoots and ruins straight timber growth
- Not a true cedar (which are in the Cedrus genus) — Toona is in the mahogany family Meliaceae, closely related to mahogany itself
- Subtropical to tropical rainforest tree — needs warm humid conditions
- Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.
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Related plants
Cross-check Australian red cedar against your zones