One of the amazing things about the Illawarra is how much rainforest grows around here.
To the north in Sydney and the south in the Shoalhaven region almost no rainforest is present, but around here the shelter and relatively high rainfall provided by the escarpment make it a rainforest haven. The escarpment slopes are home to large areas of rainforest, much of it under formal protection. There are also small patches of remnant rainforest on the Berkeley Hills and growing alongside the many creeks that run east from the escarpment to the sea.
But some of the most uncommon and interesting rainforest actually grows right along the coast, in the hind dunes on deep sandy soils. In the harsh coastal conditions, rainforest trees are generally fairly low-growing and nothing like the towering Red Cedars of the escarpment. But it's still rainforest!
Some of my absolute favourites are really doing their thing right now and going off with masses of colourful flowers or fruit. One uncommon and beautiful coastal rainforest tree is the Coast Canthium (Cyclophyllum longipetalum).
The littoral (coastal) rainforest at Perkins Beach in Windang is home to several mature specimens of this tree. In this area it only reaches around 4-5m tall, so its sweet-scented flowers are within easy reach of the interested nose.
The fruits, which are covering some of the local trees right now, are in tones of orange, red and crimson, and create a festive look.
The flesh softens as the fruit ripens, but inside is a tough, angular 'stone' (like the kernel in an apricot or plum) that seems to require very specific conditions to open and release the oily, delicate seeds inside. Perhaps this is why Coast Canthium is very uncommon in the region. It just doesn't get the chance to germinate and grow.
This small tree is pretty well unknown in cultivation. But it's beautiful, local, and outstandingly hardy. It would be an excellent option for urban greening throughout the region, particularly in coastal regions such as Port Kembla and Windang. If you can find a seedling at a local nursery, give it a go!
Emma Rooksby is the coordinator of the Growing Illawarra Natives website