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Fact Sheet 5
"Australian Plants for
Fire Prone Central Coast Gardens"
Fire has been part of the Australian landscape
for hundreds of thousands of years, with the plants adapting to its occurrence.
All plant material will eventually burn if subjected to enough heat
for a long enough time. However, some are able to resist the force of fire
better than others. These fire resistant plants are able to slow the progress of a fire
and thus help with fire control. Select trees with low oil and resin content in their
leaves, smooth bark and high leaf moisture content such as in many of the rainforest
plants.
With careful planning, planting and regular
maintenance, we can make our properties safer.
- Plant an 'ember catcher'- a row of tall
rainforest trees to catch embers and slow the fire.
- Regularly clean leaves from gutters and roof
valleys.
- Allow for a clear space around the house. If
possible this should be at least 5 metres wide and it needs to be a hard surface or lawn.
- Don't allow branches to overhang buildings.
Avoid growing plants up against the walls of buildings.
- A fire break can be created by positioning a
tennis court, swimming pool, lawn or car parking area between your home and the direct
line of a fire threat.
- Maintain a regular tree and shrub
maintenance program, removing excessive growth, dead wood and rake up fallen leaves and
sticks.
- Avoid having a continuous canopy of trees
which allows the fire to be carried through the tree tops.
- Avoid growing rough fibrous bark trees eg. Syncarpia
glomulifera -Turpentine tree, or trees that produce long ribbon strips of bark, eg.
Eucalyptus viminalis -Manna gum.
- Fit all external doors with draft sealers,
screens to all windows. If possible, avoid using a combustible doormat.
- Always position your gas bottle with the
vent pointing away from the house. If fire threatens and your home uses bottled gas- turn
off, disconnect and remove the gas bottles to a fire safe location.
The following list of plants have all
shown some resistance to fire-
- by acting as a windbreak,
- by absorbing and deflecting the heat,
- by trapping burning embers and sparks from a
fire.
Fire resistant native
plants
Prostrate and low growing
plants
Ajuga australis
Austral bugle
Chrysocephalum apiculatum Common everlasting
Carpobrotus glaucescens Pigface
Dichondra repens
Kidney weed
Grevillea "Bronze Rambler"
Grevillea x gaudichaudii
Grevillea "Royal Mantle"
Hardenbergia violacea False
sarsparilla
Kennedia prostrata
Running postman
Myoporum parvifolium Creeping boobialla
Myoporum debile Amulla
Scaevola aemula
Fairy fan
flower
Shrubs
Acacia iteaphylla
Flinders Range wattle
Acacia sophorae Coastal wattle
Anigozanthos species Kangaroo paw
Banksia marginata Silver Banksia
Banksia spinulosa Hair-pin Banksia
Correa glabra Rock Correa
Eremophila maculata Emu bush
Hakea salicifolia Willow leafed Hakea
Myoporum insulare Boobialla
Philotheca myoporoides syn. Eriostemon myoporoides Long leaf wax
flower
Solanum lanceolatum Kangaroo apple
Trees
Acacia howittii
Sticky wattle
Acacia saligna Golden wreath wattle
Acacia pravissima
Ovens wattle
Acacia terminalis Sunshine wattle
Angophora costata Dwarf apple
Angophora hispida Sydney red gum
Banksia integrifolia Coastal Banksia
Brachychiton acerifolius Flame tree
Lophostemon confertus Brush box
Pittosporum undulatum Sweet pittosporum
Pittosporum phillyreoides
Pittosporum rhombifolium
Rainforest
trees
Acmena smithii
Lilly
pilly
Buckinghamia celsissima
Ivory curl tree
Cuttsia viburnea
Native elderberry
Callicoma serratifolia Black wattle
Elaeocarpus reticulatus Blueberry ash
Glochidion ferdinandi Cheese tree
Grevillea robusta Silky oak
Hymenosporum flavum Native frangipani
Melia azederach White cedar
Podocarpus elatus Plum pine
Stenocarpus sinuatus Firewheel tree
Buckinghamia celsissima Ivory Curl
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