Brisbane City Council Free Native Plants species for Residents - 2015
Note: plant species may vary due to seasonal or horticultural availability. Information
contained on these pages is intended to be used as a guide only.
Groundcovers / Ferns
Species
Description & growing condition
Fauna benefits
Creeping Boobialla
Hardy prostrate groundcover to 1
metre. Purple and white flowers are
borne during the summer months. This
is an excellent spreading groundcover
for a sunny well-drained position or is
suitable in pots or containers
Birds, lizards
Myoporum parvifolium
Cut Leaf Daisy
Brachyscome multifida
Fan Flower
Scaevola aemula
Leathery Shield Fern
Rumohra adiantiformis
Native Violet
Viola hederacea
Hardy eye-catching ground cover to
Bees, lizards
150 millimetres with purple daisy
flowers throughout the year. Best
grown in full sun. Especially effective in
rockeries, mass plantings, pots, hanging
baskets and borders
Spreading groundcover to 600
millimetres with dark green foliage and
small mauve-pink flowers in spring and
summer. Prefers well-drained soils.
Great for hanging baskets
Bees, lizards
Very hardy evergreen fern with large
Frogs
glossy leathery fronds around 800
millimetres squared. Grows well in a
cool, damp, shady spot in a bush house,
container or as an under storey plant
Attractive dense groundcover to 150
millimetres suitable to damp shady
areas. Small round light green leaves
with violet flowers throughout the
year. Ideal for rockeries, mass
plantings, pots and hanging baskets
Lizards, frogs
Tufting plants and grasses
Species
Description & growing condition
Fauna benefits
Blue Flax
Hardy plant with long strappy leaves to
450 millimetres. Blue flowers on
branched spikes appear in spring.
Bright blue berries occur after
flowering. Prefers sunny position in
well-drained soil
Birds, lizards
Very hardy vigorous upright clumping
grass to 1 metre that grows well in
moist soils. Pale brown flowers are
produced in spring. Great for stabilising
banks and for decorative ponds. Grow
in full sun
Frogs, lizards
Tough fast growing spreading tufting
grass with upright dark green foliage up
to 500 millimetres. Grow in a full sun
position. Brownish flower heads are
produced on spikes throughout the
year. Great plant for water features,
ponds and effective in mass planting or
in containers
Birds, frogs,
lizards
Deep green glossy narrow strap leaves
to 700 millimetres. Small yellow-cream
flowers in spring and summer. Grow in
full sun to part shade position
Lizards, frogs
Tall sedge growing to 800 millimetres.
Attractive large yellow seed heads in
spring. Likes wet areas in full sun or
partial shade. Ideal plant for around
pool area in pots or mass plantings
Frogs, lizards
Dianella caerulea
Common Rush
Juncus usitatus
Knobby Club Rush
Fincinia nodosa
Mat Rush
Lomandra sp.
Sedge
Carex appressa
Climbers
Species
Description & growing condition
Fauna benefits
Bower Vine
A hardy, vigorous, evergreen twining
plant over 4 metres+ with spectacular
floral display. Flowers are pale pink
with a deep pink throat and appear
from spring through to late summer.
Thrives in a full sun to partial shade
position with good drainage. Best
grown as a screen on a fence or trellis.
Also great in large pots
Butterflies, bees,
insects
Pandorea jasminoides
Guinea Vine
Hibbertia scandens
Sarsaparilla Vine
Hardenbergia violacea
A vigorous twiner with glossy dark
Birds
green leaves and large golden yellow
flowers over spring and summer. Grows
to 1.5 metres and makes an excellent
screening plant on walls or fences.
Prefers well drained soil. Grow in full
sun to partial shade in an open
position. Suitable for tubs and
containers
A hardy, fast growing, evergreen small
Butterflies
climber which has dark green leathery
leaves and produces a mass of dark
purple pea flowers in winter and spring.
Grows to 1.5 metres square. Prefers a
sunny position in well-drained soil.
Great as a groundcover or can be
planted to cover fences, trellises and
pergolas. Suitable for container
planting
Small Shrubs – 0.5m – 2m
Species
Description & growing condition
Bottlebrush
Fast growing, hardy woody shrub up to 2 Birds, insects
metres that produces beautiful blooms
in a variety of single colours in spring and
summer and sometimes again in
autumn. Plant in a moist, well-drained
sunny position. Regularly prune to
encourage bushier growth and increased
flower production. great for containers,
edging, rockeries, hedges and borders.
Grows up to 2 metres
Callistemon sp.
Coastal Rosemary
Westringia fruiticosa
'Zena'
Grevillea
Grevillea sp.
Hairpin Banksia
Banksia spinulosa
Honey Myrtle
Melaleuca linariifolia
'Claret Tops'
Midiyim Berry
Austromyrtus dulcis
Fauna benefits
Hardy small fast growing evergreen
shrub 1 metre square. Long flowering
and suitable as a hedge or screening
plant or for low maintenance gardens,
exposed sites and coastal gardens
Birds, butterflies,
insects
Showy evergreen plants to 2 metres with
nectar-rich flowers. They produce a
'spider flower' in a variety of single
colours throughout the year. Grevillea's
do best in a sunny position with light,
gritty, free-draining soil
Birds, bees,
butterflies
Hardy evergreen shrub to 2 metres that
features attractive foliage with bold
flowering spikes in a variety of single
colours. Flowers appear autumn through
to spring. Plant in an open sunny
position in well-drained soil. To
encourage flower production and thicker
foliage, cut flowering spikes and use in a
floral display
Birds
A dense and compact shrub to 1.5
metres with attractive claret coloured
new growth and white flowers in
summer. A great foliage plant for
shrubberies or in a pot
Birds, insects
Hardy shrub to 1.5 metres square. White
flowers in spring followed by pale grey
berries. Best suited to a semi-shaded
Birds
position in well-drained soil. Great
rockery or tub plant
Tea Tree
Leptospermum
'Pink Cascade'
Thyme Honey Myrtle
Melaleuca thymifolia
Attractive small shrub with a weeping
habit, growing to 1.5 metres. Showy pink
flowers in spring and autumn. Prefers
moist well-drained soil in full sun or light
shade. A useful feature plant for
rockeries or over retaining walls
Insects, bees
Small hardy shrub to 1 metre square.
Mauve claw type flowers occur in
clusters and are borne during summer.
Grows best in full sun with good
drainage. Suitable for large pots or
containers
Insects
Small Shrubs – 3m-5m
Species
Description & growing condition
Bottlebrush
Hardy woody shrub up to 5 metres that Birds, insects
produces beautiful blooms in a variety
of single colours in spring and summer
and sometimes again in autumn. Plant
in a moist, well-drained sunny position.
Regularly prune to encourage bushier
growth and increased flower
production. Bottlebrushes make
excellent screening plants and are quick
growers
Callistemon sp.
Lemon-Scented Tea Tree
Leptospermum petersonii
Lillypilly
Syzgium sp.
Native Lasiandra
Melastoma affine
Purple Pea Bush
Hovea acutifolia
A bushy rounded shrub with strongly
lemon-scented fine leaves. Grows to 3
metres. White flowers cover the shrub
in spring. Prefers well drained soil in a
sunny position. Ideal as a screen, hedge
or windbreak
Fauna benefits
Insects, bees
Hardy evergreen plants to 5 metres
Birds, bees, flying
with glossy green leaves with fluffy
foxes
pom-pom white flowers in spring and
summer followed by red berries.
Prefers sunny position with welldrained soil. Lillypillies make excellent
screens, windbreaks and hedges and
can be pruned to size and shape. Grows
up to 5 metres
Hardy, fast growing bushy shrub to 2
metres. Showy large pink/purple flower
in summer. Prefers sunny to partial
shade position. Suitable as a hedge or
container plant
Lizards,
butterflies
A small to medium fast growing shrub
which is stunning in flower. Grows 4
metres with masses of purple pea
flowers from July to September. Best
planted in a lightly shaded position in
well-drained soil. Suitable as a
windbreak, hedge or in a large pot or
Birds, bees
tub
Twiggy Heath Myrtle
Baekea virgata
Very hardy bushy erect shrub to 3.5
Birds
metres. Profuse white flowers occur in
clusters in spring and summer. Prefers
a lightly shaded position in well-drained
soil. Great for hedges or tubs
Shade / Feature trees 5m+
Species
Description & growing condition
Fauna benefits
Blueberry Ash
Small dense tree growing to 8 metres.
Masses of white or pink, small fringed,
bell-shaped flowers are produced in
summer. The flowers are followed by
small blue fruits. Most soils are
suitable. Will grow in full sun to partial
shade
Birds
A fast growing bushy small tree
growing to 6 metres square. Dense
yellow perfumed ball-shaped flowers
appear in late winter and spring. Good
hedge or screening plant and can be
pruned to shape. Plant in full sun to a
partial shade position. Hardy in most
situations
Birds, butterflies,
bees
An attractive specimen tree up to 8
metres square. Showy, dense cluster of
golden yellow flowers appear from
summer to winter. Plant in full sun to
part shade in well-drained soil. Suitable
as a hedge, windbreak, screen or as a
feature tree
Birds
Hardy fast growing medium to large
tree up to 7 metres. Lime foliage with
brown undersides. White, nectar laden
flowers from spring through to
summer. Plant in full sun in welldrained soil. Grows 5 metres +
Birds, butterflies,
insects
Fast growing evergreen tree to 8
metres. Striking long creamy
fragranced flowers from spring until
autumn. Prefers moist, well-drained
soil in full sun to semi shade
Birds, bees
Hardy evergreen plants with glossy
green leaves with fluffy pom-pom
white flowers in spring and summer
followed by red berries. Prefers sunny
Birds, bees, flying
foxes
Elaeocarpus reticulatus
Brisbane Wattle
Acacia fimbriata
Golden Penda
Xanthostemon chrysanthus
Grevillea
Grevillea baileyana
Ivory Curl Tree
Buckinghamia cellisima
(seasonal)
Lillypilly
Syzgium sp.
position with well-drained soil.
Lillypillies make excellent screens,
windbreaks and hedges and can be
pruned to size and shape
Tuckeroo
Cupaniopsis anacardioides
(seasonal)
Tulipwood
Harpulia pendula
(seasonal)
Weeping Lillypilly
Waterhousia floribunda
Attractive evergreen shade tree with
rounded canopy. Grows to 8 metres.
Orange fruits produced in winter. Most
soils are suitable. Plant in a full sun to
partial shade position
Birds, butterflies
A hardy, fast growing evergreen tree up Birds, butterflies
to 10 metres with attractive, pale green
foliage. Large sprays of greenish-yellow,
slightly fragrant flowers appear in
summer followed by orange fruit.
Requires open sunny position in light to
medium soil type. Excellent shade tree
Hardy evergreen tree to 8 metres
square. Clusters of white flowers
appear from spring to summer,
followed by green round fruits. Plant in
a sunny open position in well-drained
soil. Regular trimming will produce
colourful new growth and keep the
plant bushy. Can be trimmed to shape
and size as desired. Can be trimmed to
shape and size as desired. Ideal as a
dense screen, windbreak or stunning as
a large container plant
Birds, bees