Waterhousea floribunda

	Family:	Myrtaceae
	Distribution:	East coast rainforests from north Queensland to the central coast of New South Wales.
	Common Name:	Weeping lilly pilly.
	Derivation of Name:	Waterhousea... After Dr. J Waterhouse, botanist. floribundum.... From Latin floribundus, having an abundance of flowers.
	Conservation Status:	Not considered to be at risk in the wild

General Description:

Waterhousea is a genus of 4 species, all endemic to Australia and occurring in tropical and subtropical rainforests. They are closely related to Syzygium - Waterhousea floribunda was previously known as Syzygium floribundum and some authorities continue to accept the earlier name.

Waterhousea floribunda Photo: John Wrigley

Waterhousea floribunda is a medium to large tree to 30 metres in height in its natural habitat although it is usually much smaller in cultivation (up to about 6 metres). It has dark grey, flaky bark and lance-shaped to elliptical leaves which taper to a point. Leaves are about 5-15 cm long and up to 5 cm wide. The white flowers appear from late spring to mid summer and are followed by round fruits 15 -20 mm in diameter and green in colour, maturing with a pink to red tinge.

Weeping lilly pilly is a hardy tree for temperate to tropical climates in reasonably well drained soils. Once established it will tolerate extended dry conditions but is at its best when assured water is available. Like some other related plants (eg.Syzygium) scale infestations are sometimes observed. This can be controlled by the use of white oil.

Propagation may be carried out from fresh seed, preferably after removing the flesh. The species can also be grown from cuttings of firm, current season's growth.

For some interesting photographs of some old growth W.floribunda, see Sassafras, a web site created by Paul Segal (the plant is listed as Syzygium floribundum on that page.