AMERICAN GARDENER

Grass tree is one of the most recognizable plants in the Australian landscape, a striking, spear-topped icon that somehow manages to be neither a grass nor, in any conventional sense, a tree. Its dense skirt of narrow leaves atop a blackened, fire-scarred trunk has made it an instantly familiar sight across huge stretches of the … Read more

Lilly pilly is a name that covers dozens of plants within the genus Syzygium, a member of the myrtle family alongside eucalypts and tea trees. Globally, botanists recognize around 1,200 Syzygium species, and Australia is home to roughly 50 to 75 of them, spread from the Kimberley in Western Australia across the Top End, Queensland, … Read more

Lilly pilly is one of the most widely planted native plants in Australia, a glossy-leaved evergreen that turns up as a clipped suburban hedge, a towering rainforest giant, and, increasingly, a genuine ingredient on restaurant menus, all under the same common name. Depending on the species, a lilly pilly might reach 30 meters tall in … Read more

With well over 1,000 wattle species native to Australia, no single list could cover them all, but a relatively small number of species account for most of what people actually encounter, whether that’s a golden roadside shrub in spring, a tannin-producing plantation tree, or a gnarled survivor scattered across the red desert interior. The species … Read more

The Moreton Bay fig tree is a massive evergreen native to eastern Australia, instantly recognizable by the huge, wall-like buttress roots that fan out from its trunk like frozen ripples. In the wild it begins life as a strangler fig, germinating high in the canopy of another tree before its roots ever touch soil, yet … Read more

Golden Penda: A Complete Guide to This Australian Native Tree Golden Penda is a rainforest tree from the far north of Queensland, Australia, prized for flower clusters so densely golden that a mature specimen in full bloom can look like it’s been dipped in paint. It’s become one of the most widely planted ornamental trees … Read more

Colorado blue spruce is one of the most recognizable evergreens in North America, a stiff, symmetrical conifer whose silvery-blue needles make it a fixture of yards, parks, and holiday displays from coast to coast. It is also the official state tree of Colorado, and it began life as a tree of high, cool, dry mountain … Read more

Lodgepole pine is one of the most widely distributed pines in western North America, a tough, fast-growing conifer that has learned to turn wildfire into a planting program. Its cones can stay sealed with resin for decades, and they open only when heat melts the seal, which is why lodgepole forests so often rise from … Read more

The catalpa tree is a group of deciduous flowering trees known for huge heart-shaped leaves, showy trumpet-like flowers, and long bean-like seed pods. Botanical authorities such as Kew accept 8 species, spread across 3 regions: the central and eastern United States, the Caribbean, and China. Only 2 species are native to North America, and each … Read more