Browse plants / Myrtaceae
Brush cherry Syzygium australe
Also called Scrub cherry
When it flowers
- January, flowering
- February, not flowering
- March, not flowering
- April, not flowering
- May, not flowering
- June, not flowering
- July, not flowering
- August, not flowering
- September, not flowering
- October, not flowering
- November, flowering
- December, flowering
Dense lilly pilly with glossy leaves, red new growth and edible red fruit; a go-to hedge.
A rainforest tree from the east coast that stays a dense shrub or small tree in gardens. Flushes of red to bronze new growth are followed by fluffy white flowers and crisp red fruit. It is much less troubled by pimple psyllid than magenta lilly pilly, and most hedging lilly pillies are this species or its cultivars.
In the garden
- Flowers
- Fluffy white flowers in clusters.
- Leaves
- Glossy, dark green oval leaves; new growth red to bronze.
- Attracts
- Birds, pollinating insects and shelter for small wildlife
Bush food
Red fruit ripens in late summer and autumn. Crisp and slightly tart; eaten fresh or made into jam and cordial.
Growing conditions
- Climate
- Tropical, subtropical and temperate
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Sandy, loam and clay
- Drainage
- Copes with occasional wet
- Frost
- Light frost
- Water
- Some dry spells
- Coast
- Sheltered coastal gardens
Planting and care
- Grown from
- Seed and cuttings
Planting
Sun or part shade in deep, moist, well-drained soil. Mulch well and water through the first summer. Space 1 m apart for a hedge.
Pruning
Takes regular clipping well. Hedges can be cut two or three times a year.
Care
Water in dry spells and feed in spring. Myrtle rust can attack new growth; remove badly affected shoots.
Where it comes from
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Order
- Myrtales
- Native to
- New South Wales and Queensland
- Natural range
- Rainforest and creek banks of coastal Queensland and NSW.
Cultivars and forms
-
'Bush Christmas' lilly pilly
Syzygium australe 'Bush Christmas'
2–3 m, shrub
Shrub, 2–3 m tall, 1–1.5 m wide
Full sun to part shade- January, flowering
- February, not flowering
- March, not flowering
- April, not flowering
- May, not flowering
- June, not flowering
- July, not flowering
- August, not flowering
- September, not flowering
- October, not flowering
- November, flowering
- December, flowering
Where to buy
Widely available.
We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.
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Further reading
- Syzygium australe on the Atlas of Living Australia (Atlas of Living Australia)
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