Syzygium smithii (Lilly Pilly)

Syzygium smithii at the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Photograph by Stan Shebs. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Syzygium smithii fruit

Photograph by Melburnian. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Syzygium smithii flowers

Photograph by Bahudhara. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Growth Characteristics information is sourced from: State Flora Catalog, Government of South Australia Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

LILLY PILLY FACTS

distribution map showing range of Syzygium smithii in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License

Common Name
Lilly Pilly

Other Names
Coast Satinash, Eungella Gum (In New Zealand it is known as Monkey Apple)

Description
Syzygium smithii (formerly Acmena smithii) is commonly known as Lilly Pilly. It grows as a dense tree to 20 m tall and up to 15 m wide. The trunk is sometimes buttressed. The leaves are dark shiny green and are ovate, growing from 2 cm to 10 cm long and 1 cm to 3 cm wide. New growth is pink. Panicles of cream-white flowers appear from October to March. The berries are oval, white to maroon in colour and 1 to 2 cm in diameter.

Habitat
subtropical rainforest

Distribution
Lilly Pilly is found in eastern Queensland, eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria.

Growth Characteristics
Height (m): 5 - 15
Spread (m): 5 - 8
Soil Texture: sand, loam, clay
Soil pH: acid soils, neutral soils, alkaliine soils
Frost Sensitivity: moderately sensitive
Minimum Rainfall (mm): 550
Flower Colour: white
Flower Season: spring

(source: SA State Flora Catalog)

Wildlife Interest
attracts fruit eating birds , p;ossums, bats

Classification

Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Syzygium
Species:	smithii
Common Name:	Lilly Pilly

Relatives in same Genus
  Syzygium australe
  Syzygium francisii
  Syzygium luehmannii
  Syzygium oleosum
  Syzygium paniculatum
  Syzygium wilsonii