Family:

Rutaceae

Geijera parviflora

Common Name

Other Names: Sheepbush, Dogwood, Willow.

First Nations Name(s):

Name Origin:

Geijera – After J.D. Geijer, early Swedish botanist. 

parviflora — from Latin, meaning small-flowered.

Regional Subspecies:

Occurrence:

Regional:

Noted on sandy soil in The Rock-Henty-Milbrulong region. More common to the north-west of the SW Slopes.

Australia:

Qld, NSW, Vic, SA.

Habitat:

Mixed woodland communities on range of soils.

Habit:

Shapely spreading small tree or shrub to 10 m high. Often rounded, dense canopy of branches hanging to ground-level and narrow glossy dark-green leaves.

Site Preference:

Drought resistant and hardy.

Characteristics:

Deep-rooted. Leaves strongly aromatic when crushed. Palatable trees often grazed to uniform horizontal line above ground-level.

Flowering:

White, Jun-Nov. Small with strong odour. Strongly influenced by rainfall.

Seed Collection:

Easily collected when mature, as seeds abundantly. Can be gathered from ground beneath trees.

Propagation:

From fresh seed or cuttings, which are slow to root. Hard seed coat contains chemical inhibitors. Apply pressure to fracture and remove seed coat before sowing.

Regeneration:

From seed. Very few seedlings establish despite prolific seed production.

VALUES:

Shade & Shelter:

Excellent low-level cover in windbreaks due to low branching.

Wildlife:

Excellent habitat. Flowers are a nectar and pollen source used by native insects, including flies.

Timber:

Timber light-coloured, hard, close-grained with an agreeable fragrance. Tends to split in seasoning. Prone to gum veins.

Ornamental:

Excellent ornamental for wide streets, roadsides, parks, larger gardens, and shade. Requires adequate space to develop. Responds to pruning.

Other:

Useful emergency fodder in drought (although not all individual trees palatable).