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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