Comments on: Lophostemon confertus (Queensland Brush Box)

By: Charles Colgan

Charles Colgan — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:46:49 +0000

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.

By: James Martens-Mullaly

James Martens-Mullaly — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:02:16 +0000

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

By: mike blythe

mike blythe — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:37:56 +0000

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

By: Stephen Frank

Stephen Frank — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:43:56 +0000

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.

By: Jev

Jev — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:55:08 +0000

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?