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Forest Friday is looking at the Weeping Myrtle – Waterhousea floribunda.

“Knowledge is good, understanding is better”

This is a chance for us to explore the different trees we use in our permaculture designs. There is so much to understand about a tree before placing it in a system, and by giving a tree what it needs to thrive, the whole system can benefit from the many design and ecologic functions they provide. Savour Soil uses the Weeping Myrtle – Waterhousea floribunda in designs as a feature habitat tree, a wind break and privacy screen, and in riparian zones, but there is so much more to this tree.

Habits:

  • Climate: Subtropical Native
  • Region: NSW QLD
  • Lives in places unlikely to burn.
  • Riparian zones, riverine rainforests, found lining banks of water courses
  • Propagation is from soft wood cuttings or fresh seed
Needs, Tolerances + Susceptibilities:

  • Requires moderate water
  • Well drained soil but will cope with flooding and wet feet
  • Drought tolerant but does better where there is constant water
  • Full sun to part shade
  • Will tolerate moderate frost Fire would kill it, but may sucker.
  • Likes sandy Loam soil, slightly acidic
  • It is susceptible to scale, psyllid, myrtle rust

Charactoristics + Behaviours:

  • Form: Weeping
  • Can grow from 11m up to 30m and 5 to 10m wide.
  • Not known to have invasive roots
  • Fast growing
  • Evergreen
  • Pink new growth
  • Shiny green lemon scented leaves
  • Clusters of white flowers Nov- Jan
  • Pale green to pink berries
  • Shedding grey trunk

 

Design Function:

  • Ornamental Shade tree
  • Screen tree, informal hedge when pruned
  • Feature tree
  • Can be pleached to raise height of foliage and expose trunk.

 

Products:

  • Same family as Lilly pilly
  • Lilly pilly berries are slightly sour bush food can be eaten fresh or cooked in to jams, jellies, syrups etc and dry well for storage
  • The berries from this tree are best left for the native fauna.

 

Ecological Function:

  • Erosion control
  • Flowers attracts bees and butterflies.
  • Fruit eating and insect eating birds
  • Tree top mammals and bird nesting
  • Wetland indicator species

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