Syzygium wilsonii (Powder Puff Lilly Pilly)

One of the interesting things about removing invasive weeds is watching the native species come up. They are usually species that are native to the area, but sometimes they are from elsewhere. This tree that came up by itself had leaves and structure like a Lilly Pilly, but this luxurious, red new growth was not a characteristic of the local species. Members of the Growing Illawarra Natives website concluded that it was either a Powder Puff Lilly Pilly (Syzygium wilsonii) or the Small Leaf Lilly Pilly (Syzygium luehmannii), both of which have red new growth.

The problem was that the Powder Puff Lilly Pilly is native to Far North Queensland, and the leaves of this Lilly Pilly were not small. However, it is possible that it came from a seed from Syzygium ‘Cascade’, a popular hybrid between S. wilsonii and luehmannii growing nearby. Apparently, the offspring of the hybrid seems to revert back to one of the parents and, if that is the case, it would have to be the Powderpuff. As deer have been known to pull young Lilly Pillys out, we have now caged this new addition to our biodiversity.

Weed of the Month

Ochna (Ochna serrulata) is the worst of the invasive plants in the Stanwell Avenue Reserve. It is a beautiful African bush with a red and black flower, like a Sturt’s desert pea. However, it is almost impossible to pull it out once it gets above 5cms.

Evolution has given it a tap root that develops when it is over 5cms, so that when an animal eats it, the leaf section snaps off, leaving the root to grow again. The only feasible way to get rid of it is by poisoning – either by spraying or by scraping away the bark on the stem and painting poison on the wounded section.

It is relatively easy to identify because it has long finely serrated leaves like a hacksaw blade.