Tree HandBook

Acacia boormanii is a suckering, copse-forming tree that provides ideal growth for many landscapes. This tree is able to grow in restricted sites, in areas where breakable stems are...

Lightwood is often mistaken for Blackwood, as the foliage is similar, and on young trees, the bark is almost identical. Lightwood is a summer-blooming tree, while Blackwood is winter-blooming. In...

Acacia maidenii has been little planted in the Victorian streetscape, although it should meet most of the requirements for a large street tree. It has an extremely wide native range,...

Blackwood has an extensive native range, extending throughout southern Victoria into Tasmania. Blackwood is also found on the basalt plains north of Melbourne where it is found in mixed...

Trident Maple has been highly regarded internationally for its ability to grow into a trouble-free tree up to 9m tall by 6-7m broad. In the northern hemisphere, it is regarded as highly...

Queen Elizabeth Hedge Maple was selected by the Lake County Nursery in North America in the mid 1980s for its ideal shape and rapid growth to 8m. It is a selection of the common English Hedge...

Acer cappadocicum originates in the areas surrounding the Caucasus Mountains in Asia minor. It is a tree occasionally growing to 20m in height, typically with an oval canopy to 15m...

Montpelier Maple is the southern Mediterranean relative of A. campestre and is very similar, with 3-lobed bright green leaves and small stature. Again, experience at the Waite Arboretum...

Lilly Pilly is one of the best-known Australian rainforest plants used in south-eastern Australia. This plant has been used as a single tree or as a hedge since the early 1900s. It has been in...

Willow Myrtle is an Australian plant, originating on the sand plains of Western Australia , that has found a niche in south-eastern Australia . It grows into a round-headed tree with distinctive...

A. littoralis is a native plant to the Melbourne region, growing in the eastern and southern suburban areas. This native range is quite broad, extending from the Merri Creek area...

Allocasuarina torulosa was known as Casuarina stricta until the mid 1980s when a revision of this genus split to include Allocasuarina. A useful and decorative tree...

Allocasuarina verticillata is a round-headed, small-to-medium-sized tree that will grow in a variety of sites. It is well-known as a tree tolerant of sandy, dry soils, and coastal...

Although not an apple at all, Angophora costata is an excellent tree for public horticulture. A. costata originates in semi-coastal locations of Queensland through NSW and is...

This rough-barked relative of A. costata is easily recognised in its native range for its gnarled, picturesque growth. A. floribunda will usually grow to about 20 metres in...

Angophora hispida is the smallest growing member of this genus. Like many plants growing between 6 and 10 metres, it can be trained either as a multi-stemmed shrub or as a...

Sea-side holidays in southern Australia almost always mean a beach lined with majestic Norfolk Island Pines. These trees, which do originate on Norfolk Island, are not endemic to the...

Arbutus are amongst the most ornamental small trees available to Australian horticulture. All Arbutus require reasonably well-drained soils, but unlike many members of the...

Banksia ‘Giant Candles’ is a selection of a naturally-occurring hybrid between B. ericifolia and B. spinulosa. It is well-known for its extremely large...

Banksia ericifolia Burgundy Form will be similar in the landscape to B. ‘Giant Candles’, but with an interesting, showy dark red flower-head. As a selection of B....

Although much of B. integrifolia’s native range occurs along coastlines, this plant will also grow in moist soils, as long as waterlogging is not long-term. When driving from...

Banksia marginata is one of the most variable banksias found in south-eastern Australia: variable in habitat, from coastal to upland forests; variable in size, from 1 to 10 metres;...

Heritage River Birch comes from the southern states of the USA, and is amongst the most tolerant birch for sites too dry or too skeletal for Silver Birch, B. pendula. Unlike many...

About 31 species of Brachychiton exist, with all but one considered endemic to Australia. Most are deciduous with the exception of Brachychiton populneus. The Brachychiton is...

The Kurrajong is described as a tree found in humid and semi arid areas in Australia. Trees tend to thrive in natural habitats located along seasonal watercourses where larger growth rates will be...

Callistemon ‘Harkness’ is one of the well-known Bottlebrushes that has been an excellent street tree for many years. Also known as ‘Gawlor Hybrid’, this plant has...

C. salignus was grown for 10 years beginning in the 1970s and went out of fashion in the mid-1980s. This fall from favour was based on poor form, specifically with trees lacking a central...

River Sheoak has been widely planted in Melbourne, and many assume that it is indigenous to this general region; in fact, C. cunninghamiana originates north of Melbourne, and is most...

Catalpa bignonioides ‘Nana’ is a top-grafted specimen useful in Melbourne streetscapes where power lines are a problem. This plant will form a tight ball of heart-shaped, rich...

Where most other trees will struggle, this tree will thrive in the harshest environments. A useful dark green foliaged tree for many streetscapes and major roads within low rainfall areas....

Cinnamomum camphora has been widely used throughout the inner-eastern suburbs of Melbourne because of its evergreen habit, ability to tolerate many soil types, and restricted size in...

The genus Citrus has many members with more being added back into this genus with each revision. The entire group is extremely productive and successful in south-eastern...

Lemon-scented Gum is one of the most popular Australian trees grown in Melbourne. Originating from a very restricted area in Queensland on the Tropic of Capricorn, Lemon-scented Gum has grown very...

Yellow Bloodwood is the least commonly found of the temperate Corymbia species in Melbourne environs, but is an excellent tree for any non-frost-affected area. C. eximia...

Red-flowering gum is a prominent tree in the sand belts in the southern Melbourne suburbs. Because of its tidy, rounded shape, elegant foliage, and showy summer flowering, C. ficifolia is...

Corymbia maculata is another of the plants that is commonly seen in Melbourne. Its characteristic tall growth, spotted trunk and dark green foliage successfully integrate most...

This is most possibly the next “big thing” replacing Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ at the top of the fashionable list for screening and hedging. A very...

Elaeocarpus reticulatus has a significant native range, extending from Fraser Island to Flinders Island where it grows in both coastal and near-coastal locations. It tolerates many...

River Red Gum is amongst the most widely-distributed native trees in southern Australia. It lives in river gullies, along stream banks, and in flood plains. With human intervention, you now...

Eucalyptus elata is a tree that will thrive wherever there is adequate space and adequate irrigation. It is found from central New South Wales, extending south into Victoria. Here in...

This is a very adaptable tree that can be grown as a multiple or single-trunked specimen. It grows quickly, allowing for quick establishment in the landscape. The small stature can be very useful...

To describe Yellow Gum as a single tree type is extremely difficult, as this species has so many different forms. It has a native range extending from southern NSW through Victoria into most of...

This sub-species of E. mannifera is smaller-growing than the species, and is noted for its excellent bark characters, tolerance of many site types and restricted canopy size. E....

E. melliodora is a widely-variable tree with a native range extending from southern Queensland to Victoria. It is indigenous to Melbourne and its suburbs. Some Yellow Box can be quite...

Eucalyptus pauciflora has an extensive range in Victoria and NSW, extending from the snowfields to Gisborne and the Mornington Peninsula in southern Victoria. Forms from the southern...

Red Box has been widely noted for its ability to withstand dry soils for many droughty summers. It is a eucalypt with an extremely wide native range, extending from the tablelands of NSW to...

E. radiata is very popular with urban horticulturists because of its compact crown, dense canopy and excellent form. It is proving itself to be an improved Peppermint for urban use;...

E. risdonii is one of the rare plants introduced into horticulture because of its unusual characters. In its native range, E. risdonii occurs on sands between the Tasmanian...

Over the last 10 years, many public plantings of E. scoparia have been developed. Horticulturists have developed these plantings because of the relatively fast growth of E....

Red Ironbark is a highly valuable tree because of its adaptation to many sites, strong wood and ability to grow well in smog. This tree has been cultivated as well outside of Australia, in...

Eucalyptus tricarpa is one of the ironbarks that is closely allied to E. sideroxylon. This species has been split off from the larger species in that it has larger fruits, and...

Mallee or small tree with slender trunks, often growing with multiple stems of five or more. Useful in gardens where an open canopy is required to allow other trees, shrubs and perennials to be...

One of more than 800 different species of trees, shrubs and vines described as figs. Moreton Bay Fig is found endemically within Australia from Jervis Bay (NSW) to Cape York Peninsula (QLD),...

Over the last few years, this Queensland native has been planted in the thousands in south-eastern Australia. Because of the ease in production, and this plant’s ability to be sheared to...

Strangely, Rock Fig is a rare plant in Melbourne, even though it is more suited to Melbourne conditions than most of the others used. Rock Fig comes from the northern half of Australia, but it is...

Flowering Ash is a highly-regarded tree for south-eastern Australia, because of its relatively small form, excellent canopy development and elegant white panicles of flowers in mid-spring to ...

F. pennsylvanica is found throughout the eastern half of North America, and many selections have been taken from the south-western part of this range. These plants are tolerant of very...

Wilga is a tree that is highly sought after by many urban horticulturists because of its extremely ornamental character, tolerance to a wide range of soil and climate types, and its diminutive...

Maidenhair Tree is a beautiful, slow-growing tree that is tolerant of many urban extremes. In North America, this tree has been used in highly compacted sites, and in areas where air pollution is...

Honeylocust has proven to be one of the most easily-grown street trees, growing rapidly to 10m with limited irrigation. It can be easily managed with pruning in most urban conditions. G....

Golden-rain Tree is a slow-growing tree that will give multi-season interest to broad streetscapes. Eventually, it will grow to 10m tall, with an irregular, intricately-branched canopy, elegant...

Over the last 20 years, new Crepemyrtle selections have been introduced from the United States National Arboretum that have all of the excellent qualities of L. indica, and are also...

Brush Box is one of the trees performing differently in southern urban centres than it does in its near-coastal native range of northern NSW and Queensland. In Melbourne Brush Box grows to a...

Osage Orange is an unusual tree coming from the bleak, harsh areas of south-central North America. In these climates the winters are very cold, spring floods are common, and summer droughts are...

The evergreen Magnolia is considered with its deciduous relatives as one of the most magnificent of flowering trees. Originally introduced from the United States to England in the early 18th...

Malus sargentii is one of some thirty deciduous trees and shrubs within the same genus. Tends to be tolerant of compacted soils and able to withstand drought. The crab apple is held in...

Melia azedarach is a common street tree in Melbourne, where many unfortunately exhibit a very poor growth habit. These poor characteristics, where they occur, are attributed to the nature...

Metropolitan Tree Growers are proud to grow 1 form of olive which is sterile, and another which is upright and low fruiting. We have chosen to grow these forms because they reduce the required...

As the name suggests, this is a native to the Canary Islands making it highly suited to South-east Australia. It has a very distinguishable and strongly fissured red bark, which provides a...

A Mediterranean native most suited to South Eastern Australia. It will tolerate a wide range of landscape situations of poor drainage, excessive heat, high winds, some aerial salt and acid to...

This native of Southern Europe has been long used in cultivation beyond 1500 years for its edible seeds. A famous forest exists near the Adriatic coast called Ravenna that covers an area 26km by...

Chinese pistachio has fans amongst almost all of the international writers concerned with street trees. This tree is relatively fast growing to 10m, is easily pruned to a height of 6m, will...

One of many species of Pittosporum growing as evergreen shrubs or small trees, this species is well suited for use in nature strip plantings. A native of the North Island of New Zealand growing...

The entire group of P. orientalis cultivars grown in Australia as “digitate” planes is problematic as they do not conform to any listing of P. orientalis found...

In Melbourne, London Plane is the tree that defines many of the “leafy” suburbs of high-real-estate-values. Although over-planted, London Plane is still valuable because of: ...

Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana) are excellent trees for all landscape uses, provided named cultivars are used. Plants sold as “P. ussuriensis” or “Manchurian...

This tree has been widely misnamed in Australia. Until trees became available in 1999, all trees in Australia labelled ‘Pyrus ussuriensis’ were instead a clone of Pyrus...

Quercus bicolor is amongst the most elegant of the deciduous oaks, and should be considered for use in Australian parks and broad street verges. Swamp White Oak is a...

Q. canariensis is a variable tree coming from southern Europe and north Africa. Because it hybridises freely with Q. robur, most plants in Australia will be intermediate, showing...

Turkey Oak is a small-leaved, round-headed oak that originates in Asia minor and eastern Europe. From reading successful planting records, you can find that Turkey Oak has grown well on a number...

Superficially, Scarlet Oak resembles Pin Oak (Q. palustris), but Scarlet Oak’s larger leaves and brighter autumn foliage color are different enough to make identification easy....

Quercus ilex is a tree that has been used in landscapes for many 1000s of years. Although it probably originates in the eastern Mediterranean, because of the religious significance of...

Quercus lobata, Valley Oak, is found from New Mexico through central California in North America. This is an extremely long-lived tree of generous stature that forms beautiful groves of...

Pin Oaks have been used in many Melbourne suburbs, forming much of the ‘backbone’ of deciduous planting. There are two significant problems with Pin Oaks: when...

English Oak is one of the most common park trees in south-eastern Australia, noted for its vigorous, luxuriant growth. Q. robur grows very quickly to a tree of 20m tall by up to 20m...

Quercus rubra seems to be one of the best oaks for Australian streetscapes. It is rapidly-growing when water is freely available, and authorities claim that it always has a...

Quercus suber is best known for its bark and the product we make from it—cork. This tree should also be known for its fine landscape qualities, and permanence in the landscape....

Mop Top Robinia is a significant tree for urban plantings because of its restricted size and tolerance to a wide range of difficult soil types. ‘Mop Top’ Robinias are grafted trees...

The genus is named after Sequoia the talented son of a British trader and a Cherokee Indian woman. The tree is a native of California near Monterey, preferring coastal foggy conditions in its...

A native of California from the western side of the Sierra Nevada, known to grow to 80-90m, but this is most unlikely under Australian climatic conditions. Will initially grow well in early...

Bald Cypress comes from the mid-west areas of North America and is noted for its upright growth in wet areas. The tree will tolerate long periods where the roots are in standing water, and will...

Water Gum has been widely used in inner-Melbourne streets because of its relatively small size, elegant evergreen foliage, and graceful form. In addition, it has very fine bark, usually a mix of...

U. ‘Sapporo Autumn Gold’ was selected by Dr E. Smalley in Japan in the late 1950s. It is probably a hybrid of U. japonica and another Asiatic elm, and was selected...

Chinese Elm is one of the best street tree selections for south-eastern Australia because of its eventual size, tolerance of urban sites and rapid growth. Some trees have exceptional bark that is...

Waterhousia floribunda is one of the many trees now making its home in Melbourne from northern Australia. This tree is native to northern, coastal New South Wales and extends north into...