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Australian natives

Plants indigenous to Australia.

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All 107 australian natives in the catalogue, alphabetical by common name. Each links to a full page with its ratings across the USDA, RHS, Canadian and Australian systems.

  • Anise myrtle Syzygium anisatum – Subtropical Queensland native with intensely anise-scented leaves rich in anethole. Culinary and digestive medicinal use. USDA zones 9–11
  • Aniseed myrtle Backhousia anisata – Rare subtropical rainforest tree from northern NSW with strongly aniseed-scented, culinary leaves. USDA zones 10–11
  • Apple berry Billardiera scandens – Light twining climber from southern and eastern Australia with edible fruit tasting of stewed apple. USDA zones 8–10
  • Atherton raspberry Rubus probus – Vigorous native raspberry from northern Queensland with sweet red fruit. USDA zones 9–10
  • Australian bush mint Mentha satureioides – Aromatic creeping native mint from eastern Australia, a relative of pennyroyal, used for tea and flavouring. USDA zones 8–10
  • Australian native mangosteen Atractocarpus fitzalanii – Glossy-leaved Queensland rainforest tree with soft orange edible fruit; unrelated to true mangosteen. USDA zones 10–12
  • Australian native mulberry Pipturus argenteus – Fast, soft-wooded subtropical shrub or small tree from eastern Australia with soft white edible fruit. USDA zones 10–11
  • Australian native thyme Prostanthera incisa – Aromatic eastern-Australian shrub (a cut-leaf mint bush) whose leaves are used as a native culinary herb. USDA zones 9–10
  • Australian red cedar Toona ciliata – 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. USDA zones 9–12
  • Australian wild currant Antidesma erostre – Tropical northern-Australian shrub bearing small, tart, currant-like berries. USDA zones 10–12
  • Black she-oak Allocasuarina littoralis – Eastern Australian coastal native casuarina. Critical food plant for the glossy black cockatoo, which feeds almost exclusively on its seeds. USDA zones 8–11
  • Black wattle Acacia mearnsii – Fast-growing Australian wattle widely planted as a commercial tannin source. The bark contains the highest commercially viable tannin concentration of any common species (28–40%). USDA zones 8–11
  • Blackwood Acacia melanoxylon – Large southeastern Australian acacia producing premium dark cabinetry timber. Tolerates more shade than most acacias and supports a wide range of native moths and butterflies. USDA zones 8–11
  • Blue flax lily Dianella caerulea – Tough, adaptable strappy perennial from eastern Australia with blue flowers and violet berries. USDA zones 9–10
  • Blue lilly pilly Syzygium oleosum – Glossy-leaved eastern-Australian rainforest tree or shrub with powdery blue-purple edible berries. USDA zones 9–10
  • Bolwarra Eupomatia laurina – Rainforest-understorey shrub or small tree from eastern Australia with fragrant, edible fruit. USDA zones 9–10
  • Boobialla Myoporum insulare – Fast, dense coastal shrub or small tree from southern Australia, widely used for screening and windbreaks. USDA zones 9–10
  • Bower vine Pandorea jasminoides – Vigorous evergreen eastern Australian climber with glossy dark green compound leaves and clusters of large pink-and-purple-throated trumpet flowers in summer. USDA zones 9–11
  • Broad-leaved paperbark Melaleuca quinquenervia – Medium to tall Australian wetland tree with distinctive thick papery white bark and creamy bottlebrush flower spikes. USDA zones 9–11
  • Brown boronia Boronia megastigma – Western Australian shrub with fine needle-like leaves and small bell-shaped flowers, chocolate-brown on the outside and yellow within, carrying one of the most intense fragrances of any Australian native plant. USDA zones 9–10
  • Bunya pine Araucaria bidwillii – Massive subtropical Queensland conifer reaching 45 m with a characteristic dome-shaped crown and stiff spiny dark leaves. Bears enormous (10 kg) cones every 3–4 years containing large edible seeds. USDA zones 9–11
  • Burdekin plum Pleiogynium timorense – Large tropical and subtropical Queensland tree with dark-purple, plum-like fruit. USDA zones 10–12
  • Bush tomato (Akudjura) Solanum centrale – Low desert-adapted Australian native solanum producing yellow-brown sun-dried fruit traditionally harvested by central desert Aboriginal communities. USDA zones 9–12
  • Cedar Bay cherry Eugenia reinwardtiana – Compact coastal shrub or small tree from tropical Queensland with sweet, small red cherries. USDA zones 10–12
  • Cinnamon myrtle Backhousia myrtifolia – Hardy eastern-Australian rainforest tree or large shrub with spicy, cinnamon-scented foliage. USDA zones 9–10
  • Coastal rosemary (Westringia) Westringia fruticosa – Compact rounded evergreen Australian native shrub with grey-green rosemary-like leaves and small white or pale lilac flowers throughout the year. The most widely planted Australian native hedge plant. USDA zones 9–11
  • Coastal she-oak Casuarina equisetifolia – Tropical and subtropical pioneer she-oak of coastal sands across the Australian, Pacific, and Indian Ocean tropics. Tall, narrow, salt- and wind-tolerant — among the great pioneer beach windbreak species. USDA zones 9–12
  • Cootamundra wattle Acacia baileyana – Fast-growing southern NSW endemic wattle to 8 m with fine silvery-blue ferny foliage and abundant fragrant golden ball flowers in late winter. Outside its small native range, a notorious invader. USDA zones 8–10
  • Crimson bottlebrush Callistemon citrinus – Medium shrub or small tree with narrow lemon-scented leaves and iconic bright red bottlebrush flower spikes that draw honeyeaters and lorikeets in numbers. USDA zones 8–11
  • Davidson's plum Davidsonia jerseyana – Australian rainforest native producing intensely tart deep-purple fruit borne directly on the trunk and main branches. Exceptional culinary ingredient. USDA zones 9–11
  • Davidson's plum (Queensland form) Davidsonia pruriens – Tall tropical Queensland Davidson's plum with large leaves and sour deep-purple fruit borne on the trunk. USDA zones 10–12
  • Davidson's plum (smooth-leaved) Davidsonia johnsonii – Smooth-leaved Davidson's plum from northern NSW and SE Queensland with intensely tart purple fruit. USDA zones 10–11
  • Desert lime Citrus glauca – Thorny native Australian citrus of arid inland regions. Small green fruit has exceptionally high vitamin C and a sharp distinctive flavour. USDA zones 8–12
  • Drooping she-oak Allocasuarina verticillata – Small to medium southeastern Australian native she-oak with strongly drooping weeping foliage and dark furrowed bark. A tough drought- and frost-tolerant inland windbreak across southern Australia. USDA zones 8–11
  • Dwarf plum pine Podocarpus spinulosus – Low, spreading native conifer from eastern Australia with a sweet, edible fleshy fruit-stalk. USDA zones 8–10
  • Eucalyptus — Blue gum Eucalyptus globulus – Large fast-growing Australian eucalyptus, widely planted globally. Essential oil from the leaves is a traditional respiratory and decongestant remedy. USDA zones 8–11
  • Eucalyptus — Lemon-scented Corymbia citriodora – Tall eucalyptus with smooth pale bark and lemon-fragrant leaves. Essential oil is dominated by citronellal — a recognised insect repellent. USDA zones 9–11
  • Finger lime Citrus australasica – Australian rainforest native producing finger-shaped fruit filled with caviar-like vesicles that pop when bitten. Cherished by chefs worldwide. USDA zones 9–12
  • Firewood banksia Banksia menziesii – Western Australian small tree to 10 m with rough corky bark, blue-grey toothed leaves, and large acorn-shaped flower spikes in red, orange, pink, or yellow through autumn and winter. USDA zones 9–10
  • Fragrant saltbush Rhagodia parabolica – Hardy, scrambling arid-zone saltbush from southern Australia with grey foliage and small red berries. USDA zones 8–10
  • Geraldton wax Chamelaucium uncinatum – Slender Western Australian native shrub with fine needle-like aromatic leaves and clusters of waxy pink, white, or purple five-petalled flowers in winter and spring. The major Australian cut-flower export crop. USDA zones 9–10
  • Gippsland waratah Telopea oreades – Tall Gippsland and eastern Victorian endemic waratah forming a slender tree to 10 m, with leathery narrow leaves and dome-shaped scarlet flower heads in spring. Distinct from the Sydney waratah in the database. USDA zones 9–10
  • Golden wattle Acacia pycnantha – Australia's national floral emblem — a small tree producing dense balls of brilliant yellow flowers in late winter and early spring. USDA zones 8–11
  • Grass tree (Yacca) Xanthorrhoea australis – Iconic Australian endemic with a thick blackened fire-shaped trunk topped by a fountain of long grass-like leaves and, in mature specimens, a tall flower spike of cream flowers in early summer. USDA zones 9–10
  • Greg's wampee Clausena smyrelliana – Rare south-east Queensland native related to wampee, bearing small edible fruit. USDA zones 10–12
  • Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’ Grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’ – Compact mounding hybrid grevillea with finely divided foliage and continuous deep-red brush-like flowers throughout the year. USDA zones 9–11
  • Gymea lily Doryanthes excelsa – Massive NSW endemic perennial with rosettes of sword-shaped leaves 2 m long and dramatic 4–6 m flowering stems carrying enormous heads of deep red trumpet flowers. USDA zones 9–11
  • Hairpin banksia Banksia spinulosa – Compact eastern Australian banksia with narrow spiny leaves and golden cylindrical flower spikes through autumn and winter. USDA zones 8–11
  • Heath banksia Banksia ericifolia – Eastern Australian native banksia with fine needle-like heath-like leaves and tall cylindrical orange-red flower spikes in autumn through winter. One of the most widely planted banksias in cultivation. USDA zones 8–11
  • Honey thyme myrtle Melaleuca thymifolia – Compact eastern-Australian shrub with fine foliage and frilled, claw-like purple flowers. USDA zones 9–10
  • Huon pine Lagarostrobos franklinii – Slow-growing endemic Tasmanian conifer of cool temperate rainforest, with golden-yellow oily timber that is the most rot-resistant of any Australian wood. Some living specimens are over 2,500 years old. USDA zones 8–10
  • Illawarra flame tree Brachychiton acerifolius – Tall eastern Australian native tree reaching 35 m, deciduous in dry seasons, that drops all its leaves in summer to reveal masses of brilliant scarlet bell flowers covering the bare branches. USDA zones 9–11
  • Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata – Tall hardwood eucalypt of southwestern Western Australia, reaching 40 m, with the dense red heartwood that is the iconic timber of WA construction — flooring, joinery, structural beams, and railway sleepers. USDA zones 9–11
  • Kakadu plum Terminalia ferdinandiana – Small deciduous tree of the tropical Northern Territory. Pale yellow-green fruit carries the highest measured vitamin C of any food source — around 3000 mg per 100 g. USDA zones 9–12
  • Kangaroo apple Solanum laciniatum – Soft-wooded Australian native shrub with deeply lobed leaves and orange-yellow fruit. A commercial source of solasodine — a steroid alkaloid used in pharmaceutical cortisone production. USDA zones 8–11
  • Kangaroo paw Anigozanthos spp. – Iconic Western Australian perennial with strap-like leaves and tall stems of furry tubular flowers in red, yellow, green or pink, shaped like a kangaroo’s paw. USDA zones 9–11
  • Karri Eucalyptus diversicolor – Among the tallest hardwoods in the world, reaching 90 m, with smooth shedding bark mottled cream and pink. Pale, strong, dense timber used for structural beams, flooring, and panelling. USDA zones 9–11
  • Kurrajong Brachychiton populneus – Tough dryland Australian native tree reaching 15 m with distinctive lobed leaves, cream-pink bell flowers in summer, and prominent dark seed pods. Among the most drought-tolerant Australian trees. USDA zones 8–11
  • Lemon aspen Acronychia acidula – Tropical Queensland rainforest tree bearing pale, sharply citrus-flavoured fruit used as a bush food. USDA zones 10–12
  • Lemon myrtle Backhousia citriodora – Subtropical Queensland native with the highest natural citral content of any plant. Leaves are both culinary (intensely lemon-scented) and medicinal (antimicrobial). USDA zones 9–11
  • Lemon-scented tea tree Leptospermum petersonii – Eastern Australian native tea tree with fine narrow leaves that release a strong lemon fragrance when brushed, and small white flowers in spring and summer. The standard commercial lemon-tea-tree-oil species. USDA zones 9–11
  • Lilly pilly — Riberry Syzygium luehmannii – Australian native rainforest tree with bright pink new growth and clusters of small tart-sweet pink-red berries — a popular bushfood and excellent screening hedge. USDA zones 9–11
  • Lime berry Micromelum minutum – Aromatic small tree or shrub from northern Australia with clusters of small orange-red edible berries. USDA zones 10–12
  • Macadamia Macadamia integrifolia – Subtropical Australian native rainforest tree producing the familiar macadamia nut. Slow to mature but extremely long-lived. USDA zones 9–11
  • Manna gum (Ribbon gum) Eucalyptus viminalis – Tall southeastern Australian eucalypt reaching 50 m, with bark that shreds in long ribbons and sweet manna-like sap exudates that solidify on the bark. The principal food tree of the koala across its southern range. USDA zones 7–10
  • Midgen berry Austromyrtus dulcis – Compact coastal-heath shrub from eastern Australia with sweet, speckled white-and-purple berries. USDA zones 9–10
  • Muntries (Emu apple) Kunzea pomifera – Low spreading South Australian native producing small green-purple berries with a sweet-spicy apple-cinnamon flavour. Forms an excellent edible groundcover. USDA zones 8–10
  • Native frangipani Hymenosporum flavum – Eastern Australian rainforest small tree to 10 m with glossy dark green leaves and clusters of intensely fragrant trumpet flowers that open cream and age to deep gold over a few days. USDA zones 9–11
  • Native fuchsia Correa reflexa – Small Australian shrub with rough hairy leaves and pendant tubular red, cream or green flowers through autumn and winter. USDA zones 8–10
  • Native Gympie lime Citrus australis – Australian native round lime with juicy, acidic pulp used like a lime. USDA zones 9–11
  • Native hemp (Gynatrix) Gynatrix pulchella – Soft-leaved Australian native shrub of cool-temperate riparian forests. Inner bark traditionally used for fibre cordage; medicinal use also recorded. USDA zones 8–10
  • Native pepperberry Tasmannia insipida – Rainforest pepperberry from eastern Australia with mildly peppery fruit and leaves used as a spice. USDA zones 9–10
  • Native sarsaparilla Hardenbergia violacea – Twining Australian native climber or trailing ground cover with leathery leaves and sprays of small purple pea flowers in late winter and early spring. USDA zones 8–11
  • NSW native ginger Alpinia caerulea – Clumping rainforest-understorey perennial from eastern Australia with edible blue berries and aromatic shoots. USDA zones 9–10
  • Pincushion hakea Hakea laurina – Western Australian shrub or small tree to 6 m with leathery laurel-like leaves and spectacular ball-shaped flower heads of red-and-cream protruding styles, like crimson pincushions, in autumn and winter. USDA zones 9–10
  • Pink-lime berry Glycosmis trifoliata – Coastal subtropical shrub from northern Australia with small, sweet, translucent pink berries. USDA zones 10–11
  • Quandong Santalum acuminatum – Australian semi-arid native producing tart bright-red fruit with a single hard stone. A classic bushfood; pies, jams, and dried fruit. USDA zones 8–11
  • Queensland bottle tree Brachychiton rupestris – Iconic Queensland endemic tree with massive swollen bottle-shaped trunk storing water for dry seasons. Small narrow leaves and inconspicuous cream flowers — the architectural trunk shape is the entire ornamental point. USDA zones 9–11
  • Red berry saltbush Einadia hastata – Scrambling hardy Australian subshrub with small, sweet, edible red berries. USDA zones 8–10
  • Red boronia (Sydney boronia) Boronia heterophylla – Western Australian shrub with finely divided fragrant foliage and pendant cup-shaped flowers in deep cerise-pink (or white in cultivar ‘White Heart’). Major commercial cut-flower crop. USDA zones 9–10
  • Red flowering gum Corymbia ficifolia – Spectacular small Western Australian eucalypt to 10 m with broad rounded crown and massive terminal clusters of brilliant scarlet (or pink, orange, white) flowers in summer. The most widely planted ornamental eucalypt worldwide. USDA zones 9–11
  • River she-oak Casuarina cunninghamiana – Tall evergreen Australian native of riparian zones. Casuarinas resemble pines but are flowering plants — cone-like fruit, drooping needle-like branchlets that whisper in the wind. USDA zones 8–11
  • River wattle (Bower wattle) Acacia cognata – Elegant weeping eastern Australian wattle with fine narrow drooping phyllodes ("leaves") and small fluffy pale yellow ball flowers in spring. Compact cultivars (‘Cousin Itt’, ‘Limelight’) are now landscape mainstays. USDA zones 9–10
  • Rosemary grevillea Grevillea rosmarinifolia – Bushy upright grevillea with rosemary-like needle leaves and showy red and cream spider-like flowers from late winter through spring. USDA zones 8–10
  • Round-leaf mint bush Prostanthera rotundifolia – Southeastern Australian native shrub with small rounded aromatic leaves and abundant violet or pink-mauve cup flowers smothering the bush in spring. Strongly mint-scented foliage gives the common name. USDA zones 9–10
  • Round-leaved pigface Disphyma crassifolium – Low coastal succulent groundcover from southern Australia with daisy-like flowers and fleshy leaves. USDA zones 9–10
  • Ruby saltbush Enchylaena tomentosa – Hardy arid-zone Australian subshrub with succulent foliage and small juicy red-to-yellow berries. USDA zones 8–10
  • Sandpaper fig Ficus coronata – Small riparian fig from eastern Australia bearing edible purple figs; leaves are rough like sandpaper. USDA zones 9–10
  • Scarlet banksia Banksia coccinea – Western Australian shrub or small tree with broad oblong toothed leaves and brilliant short scarlet-and-grey cylindrical flower spikes through winter. Among the most spectacular of the banksias. USDA zones 9–10
  • Sea berry saltbush Rhagodia baccata – Dense coastal saltbush from southern and western Australia with small edible red berries. USDA zones 9–10
  • Silver dollar gum Eucalyptus cinerea – Smaller eucalypt with juvenile silver-grey rounded leaves clasping the stem, often kept in juvenile leaf form by hard pruning for the florist trade. Leaves produce a strong range of orange, yellow, and rust dyes. USDA zones 8–11
  • Silver princess gum Eucalyptus caesia – Small Western Australian weeping eucalypt to 6 m with smooth red bark shedding to reveal pale cream beneath, silvered branchlets, and large pendant pink or red flowers with grey buds in winter and spring. USDA zones 9–10
  • Silver wattle Acacia dealbata – Tall fast-growing Australian acacia with feathery silver foliage and intensely fragrant yellow ball flowers — sold in European florists as "mimosa". USDA zones 8–10
  • Spiny-headed mat rush Lomandra longifolia – Tough strappy-leaved Australian native that looks like a tussock grass but is actually in the asparagus family. Virtually indestructible and now a landscaping mainstay. USDA zones 8–11
  • Sticky hop bush Dodonaea viscosa – Tough sticky-leaved shrub of the Australian and global tropical and subtropical dry country, with papery winged seed capsules that look like clusters of pink, red, or purple paper lanterns. An exceptional dry-climate coastal and inland windbreak. USDA zones 8–11
  • Strawberry gum Eucalyptus olida – Northern Tablelands eucalypt whose leaves carry a strong strawberry-and-berry aroma used as a bush-food flavouring. USDA zones 8–10
  • Sweet pittosporum Pittosporum undulatum – Eastern Australian native shrub or small tree with glossy wavy-edged leaves. Bark traditionally used by Aboriginal people; intensely fragrant spring flowers. USDA zones 8–11
  • Tall kangaroo paw Anigozanthos flavidus – Hardiest Western Australian native kangaroo paw, forming tall clumps of strap leaves topped by 2 m stems of fuzzy yellow-green to red tubular flowers shaped like kangaroo paws. Parent of most modern hybrids. USDA zones 9–11
  • Tasmanian flax lily Dianella tasmanica – Clump-forming Australian native perennial with sword-shaped grey-green strap leaves and sprays of small blue flowers followed by bright cobalt-blue berries through summer. USDA zones 8–11
  • Tasmanian pepperberry Tasmannia lanceolata – Cool-climate shrub from highland south-eastern Australia with pungent, peppery berries and leaves. USDA zones 7–9
  • Tea tree Melaleuca alternifolia – Narrow-leaved Australian melaleuca of coastal NSW wallum heath. Steam-distilled essential oil is a widely studied antimicrobial, dominated by terpinen-4-ol. USDA zones 8–11
  • Waratah Telopea speciosissima – Iconic NSW shrub with leathery dark leaves and spectacular dome-shaped scarlet flower heads in spring. The floral emblem of New South Wales. USDA zones 8–10
  • Warrigal greens Tetragonia tetragonioides – Sprawling coastal leafy green from Australia and New Zealand, used like spinach. USDA zones 8–10
  • White correa Correa alba – Coastal Australian shrub with rounded grey-green leathery leaves and small star-shaped white flowers throughout the cooler months. The standard coastal correa for southern Australian gardens. USDA zones 9–10
  • White cypress pine Callitris columellaris – Slender narrow Australian native conifer with fine grey-green scale foliage, naturally pyramidal habit, and termite-resistant scented timber. A reliable narrow windbreak across inland Australia. USDA zones 8–11
  • Wollemi pine Wollemia nobilis – Living-fossil conifer rediscovered in 1994 in a hidden NSW gorge, the only surviving member of an ancient lineage previously known only from fossils. Unusual bubbly-textured chocolate-brown bark and dark green strap-like foliage. USDA zones 9–10
  • Yellow box Eucalyptus melliodora – Tall southeastern Australian native eucalypt reaching 30 m with grey-yellow fissured bark on the lower trunk and smooth above, narrow grey-green leaves, and abundant honey-scented cream flowers in spring. USDA zones 8–10

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