Queensland Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus).
Medium sized evergreen native tree. Useful in urban sites where adaptable species is required. Fire retardant. Moderate – Long lived. Free of pest and disease. Rarely requires formative pruning. Commonly available.
Origin
Coastal forest edges from northern New South Wales to North Queensland.
Habitat:
Moderate to fast growing medium sized evergreen tree typically developing a single trunk and rounded to pyramidal canopy, In its natural environment the species can attain heights of up to 40m. In southern Australia mature dimension of about 10-15 m in height x 6-12 m width can be expected.
Description:
Leaves thick, ovate, dark green and glossy. above, paler beneath,to 15cm long. Flowers white, occurring in three’s, generally inconspicuous in southern Australia. Fruit a woody bell shaped capsule to 1cm. Bark smooth, sometimes lustrous, beige coloured, seasonally peeling in flakes revealing coppery orange to brown tones.
Tolerances:
Tolerates a wide range of soils growing best in a soil pH of between 4-6. Moderately tolerant of drought, frosts, aerial slat spray and air pollution.
Root space:
Based on 75% of mature size tree would require approximately 254m2 area or 152m3 root volume (crown projection method).
Availability:
Commonly available.
Uses & management:
Moderate to long lived species. Requires irrigation to establish. Transplants easily. Rarely requires formative pruning to develop good branch structure. Responds well to pruning. Fire retardant. Generally free of any serious pests or diseases. Flowers attract bees. Produces a woody fruit capsule that can create trip hazard on hard surfaces. Leaf litter slow to break down. Good street tree or modest sized specimen tree for parks.
Featured Tree© Tree Logic Pty Ltd 2009
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21. July 2009 at 3:55 am
Thanks for this information. This is a sturdy one. I am sure it will stand high and would give enough shade for my family to play under it. I am planning to buy a seedling for this. I am just wondering how many years would it took for it to stand 5meters if the seedling is 1meter high when i plant it?
29. July 2009 at 3:43 pm
Jev, I would put Queensland Brush Box as a medium to fast grower. But this is really dependent on your local conditions, particularly soil type and rainfall. In Melbourne we could expect 300 mm to 500 mm extension growth per year dependent on water availability. So aim for between 7 10 years to get 5 m tall tree. I would also say that the one complaint I have had about this is in regard to litter drop, which may be an issue as a shade tree.
11. October 2009 at 10:37 am
My box tree is under leaf attack – 70% of leaves have been eaten by up to 40%
can you advise what the pest/disease may be and how to treat it.
Tree is about 6-7 mtrs tall growing in basalt plains of western melbourne
13. October 2009 at 11:02 am
Thank you for your query Mike.
You tree may be under siege from possums. Possum damage is distinctive. Leaves are chewed, often leaving the leaf stalk and midrib, particularly on larger leaves. Half eaten leaves can be found on the ground. Claw marks on the trunk may be visible and you should be able to find possum droppings (usually 2.5cm long dark green to black pellet) on the ground beneath the tree.
Continual grazing on a tree can deleteriously affect tree health and any associated dieback of branches can affect tree form.
If possums are the problem and you want to effectively control them will need to install a possum guard around the trunk and ensure the possums cannot access the tree form other vantage points (adjacent trees and built structures). The latter may require clearance pruning – at least 2m is recommended between the canopy and surrounding access points.
Hope this helps,
Regards,
James
7. April 2010 at 6:46 pm
I live on the far North Coast of NSW. Brush Box Trees line both sides of my small cul-de-sac which has a road width of 5.5 metres. I have two of these trees on my nature strip. In 8 years they have grown to 10+ metres, still growing, and the amount of leaf and fruit litter they drop all year round is completely unmanageable. Apart from leaves on the lawn the litter also gets into the gutter and as the Council has only two mechanical street sweepers that are not utilised in residential areas and are reserved for business district cleaning only. My neighbours and I are currently in discussions with council to get them replaced by something else. From info gained from the internet the City of Perth is removing them as is the Nambucca Shire on the far north coast of NSW. The University of WA states “Do not plant this species as street trees”. To those of you who have these trees I wish you better luck than my neighbours and I.