Trees & Shrubs Weed profiles & Native alternatives
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I’M A WEED
Olive
Olive
Olea europaea
Evergreen shrub or medium tree, 2-15 m high with rough, pale grey bark when mature. Leaves are opposite, paddle-shaped, 3-7 cm by 0.8-1 cm, glossy dark green above, silvery below. Flowers are fragrant, creamy white, funnel-shaped, 0.4-0.5 cm long, in small clusters, from October to November. Fruit turn purple-black when ripe. Roots are a woody lignotuber in young plants, and produce strong suckering from stumps.
Threat / Problem
• Invades native vegetation.
• Fire hazard due to high oil content.
Spread
• New plants grow from seed or suckers. Spread by birds, foxes, machinery.
Control
• Small plants can be pulled.
• Cut and swab medium plants.
• Drill and fill large plants before flowering. Follow-up is required for large plants to check regrowth.
• Mechanical removal may be required for established stands.
Olive
GROW ME INSTEAD
Native Apricot
Native Apricot
Pittosporum angustifolium
Small tree to 7 m high with attractive hanging branches and drooping foliage. Flowers are small, yellow, solitary or in groups of up to four from May to October. The colourful orange fruits, are rounded capsules 1-2.4 cm by 1-2.2 cm, that split open when ripe to release small sticky red seeds.
Native Apricot
Native Apricot
OR GROW ME
Quandong
Quandong
Santalum acuminatum
Shrub or small tree usually under 5 m high, often with drooping branchlets. Leaves are narrow, olive-green, opposite, usually 3-9 cm long, often with a sickle-like curve. Tiny white flowers form late summer and fruits ripen the following spring, forming a 1.5-2.5 cm spherical fruit with shiny red skin and edible flesh 0.3-0.5 cm thick.
Quandong is semi-parasitic on roots of host plants such as Acacia and Casuarina. Generally found in nutrient-poor, free draining soils, it is quite drought and salt tolerant and favours full sun. Propagation requires specific seed treatment and growing conditions. Seek specialist advice.
Provides food for the caterpillar stage of the Wood White Butterfly, and birds, including emus.
Quandong
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