Fruits/Seeds
Round, yellow berries, 1 – 2 cm in diameter, grow in clusters.
Field Guide
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White Cedar
Also known as Cape Lilac. It reaches maturity when it is 6 – 10 years old and lives for about 20 years.
Deciduous tree, usually 10 – 15 m high but can reach 45 m in its natural environment. Its canopy is 6 – 8 m wide.
Leaves
Bright glossy green and oval in shape, 2 – 7 cm long and 1 – 3 cm wide. They are arranged either side of a 12 – 45 cm long stem and turn yellow in late autumn before falling from the tree in winter.
Flowers
Pale purple to white, star-shaped, forming clusters that are 10 – 20 cm long. Each individual flower is about 2 cm in diameter and consists of 5 petals. The flowers have a chocolate scent!
What to Observe
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First fully open single flower
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Full flowering (record all days)
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End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)
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First fully open leaf
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Leaves open (record all days)
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First leaf to change colour
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Leaves changing colour (record all days)
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First leaf to drop this year
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50% or more of leaves dropped (record all days)
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No leaves (record all days)
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Fruit fully ripened/berry reached full size (record all days)
When and Where
When To Look
- Most of the year
- Leaves appear in late spring
- Flowers appear in spring and can last into summer
- Fruits appear after flowering, usually in autumn
- Leaves change colour in autumn before falling in winter
Where To Look
- From north Queensland to southern NSW, usually within 100 km of the coast
- Also in the Kimberley region in northern Western Australia, and in the tropical areas of the Northern Territory
- Distribution extended as it is widely planted in urban areas and birds readily disperse its seeds
- In dry, coastal and subtropical rainforests, along stream banks and in valleys
- Common in urban areas, particularly in parks, public gardens and along stream banks and streets
What Else?
The White Cedar is one of only a few native Australian plants that are seasonally deciduous in winter, although many species drop their leaves during droughts, particularly those in the north.
