Browse plants / Myrtaceae
Magenta lilly pilly Syzygium paniculatum
Also called Magenta cherry
Previously known as Eugenia paniculata
Vulnerable (EPBC Act)
When it flowers
- January, flowering
- February, 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
Rare NSW lilly pilly with large magenta fruit, best grown as a tree rather than a hedge.
A threatened rainforest tree from the central coast of NSW, with glossy leaves and big crops of edible magenta fruit. Many plants once sold under this name were actually brush cherry. It is badly affected by pimple psyllid, which distorts new leaves, so it is less popular for hedging than psyllid-resistant species.
In the garden
- Flowers
- Fluffy white flowers in clusters.
- Leaves
- Glossy, dark green leaves; new growth reddish.
- Attracts
- Birds, pollinating insects and shelter for small wildlife
Bush food
Magenta fruit ripen from late summer to winter. Crisp and mildly sour; eaten fresh or made into jam.
Growing conditions
- Climate
- Subtropical and temperate
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Sandy and loam
- 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. Ripe fruit falls and stains paving and cars, so keep larger plants back from driveways and paths.
Pruning
Little pruning needed as a tree. Clipping encourages more soft new growth for psyllids.
Care
Pimple psyllid causes lumpy new leaves; it is unsightly rather than fatal. Water in dry spells and feed in spring.
Where it comes from
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Order
- Myrtales
- Native to
- New South Wales
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
- Natural range
- Littoral and gallery rainforest on the NSW coast between Bulahdelah and Jervis Bay.
Where to buy
Specialist native nurseries.
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 paniculatum on the Atlas of Living Australia (Atlas of Living Australia)
Native nurseries near you
An independent list of nurseries that specialise in Australian native plants. Nobody pays to be on it. Distances are approximate and in a straight line. Opening hours and stock vary, so check before you go.