Byron Flora and Fauna Study 1999 - Byron Shire Council

A GREENPRINT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Red Lilly Pilly (Syzygium hodgkinsoniae FAMILY MYRTACEAE)
Introduction. Red Lilly Pilly is a rainforest tree with a restricted distribution in south-east Queensland and north-east
New South Wales. It is locally common in parts of the Shire. No Recovery Plan has been prepared. A detailed species
outline has been prepared by Barry and Thomas (1994) (Queensland).
Conservation status. Red Lilly Pilly is listed on Schedule 2 (Vulnerable) of the TSC Act, 1995 and has a ROTAP code of
3VC-(Briggs and Leigh 1996).
Habit. A small tree to 11 m (Floyd 1989).
Flowers. White, honey fragrant, 25 mm in diameter in terminal cymes. Flowering January to May (Floyd 1989). Pollination
by the Richmond Birdwing butterfly is documented by Barry and Thomas (1994). The flowers of Red Lilly Pilly may
also be pollinated by other insects or possibly mammals.
Fruit. Berry, bright red, globular, up to 4 cm diameter, one-seeded. Ripe August to November (Floyd 1989). No information
about biotic seed dispersers is available. The fleshy fruit suggest that frugivores could act to disperse the seed, but
the size of the seed makes ingestion by even the largest of fruit pigeons unlikely. Frugivores may remove the flesh and drop
the seed under the tree, but are unlikely to move the seed any distance. Floyd (1990a) considers the seed of Red Lilly Pilly
to be water dispersed, which accounts for the association of the tree with riparian environments.
Habitat. Riverine rainforest on rich alluvial soils (Floyd 1989).
Distribution. Richmond River, NSW to Gympie, Queensland. Recorded in NSW from Toonumbar SF; Unumgar SF; Big
Scrub FR; Minyon Falls FR; Lismore; Alstonville; Davis Scrub NR; Wardell; Hayters Hill; Mullumbimby; Brunswick
Heads NR; Billinudgel; Crabbes Creek; Burringbar; Eungella; Upper Oxley River; Couchy Creek (Floyd 1989).
Regeneration and horticulture. Grown from fresh seed with flesh removed, germination may be 100% after 65 days.
Seedlings often produce diseased or deformed ‘red witch’s brooms’ at the growing tips (Floyd 1989). Seedlings and
saplings are shade-tolerant, with an ability to respond to small gaps. The peculiar tendency of seedlings of Red Lilly Pilly
to produce deformed tips is poorly understood. Sheltered conditions appear to be essential in the early stages of growth
where this conditions otherwise retards development. Possibly dispersal away from the parent plant assists in escape
from the effects of an infectious agent. In nursery situations, high fertiliser levels push affected seedlings through the
deformed stage (N. Nicholson pers, comm.).
Economic and cultural significance. Red Lilly Pilly has the aesthetic and ecological values of all native rainforest species.
Floyd (1989) reports that the timber is greyish, tough and moderately hard, but of no particular use.
Abundance and reservation. Red Lilly Pilly is scattered along watercourses and occasionally at other sites. The upper
reaches of the Wilsons, Coopers and Brunswick Rivers support good populations, and it is found in low numbers in
many of the Big Scrub remnants. Details of 37 records for the study area were compiled, including nine new locations
found by the authors during this study. Although locally fairly common, the number of mature trees in the Shire is still
low and its habitat is limited and degraded. Red Lilly Pilly is reserved at several locations in the Shire but its abundance
is poorly documented. Briggs and Leigh (1996) consider that the reservation adequacy of Red Lilly Pilly is inadequately
known.
Threats and amelioration. In Queensland, Red Lilly Pilly is found in small remnants that are subject to weed invasion and
other human-induced influences (Barry and Thomas 1994). In New South Wales, many plants are found in riparian
habitats or in Big Scrub remnants that are fragmented and seriously affected by weeds. Grazing affects some sites. Roadside
slashing has damaged plants at Wilsons Creek.
General rehabilitation measures for riparian zones and remnant vegetation will improve the conservation status of Red
Lilly Pilly.
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