Discover Nature at JCU Plants Choosing Plants for Areas Prone to Cyclones RESPONSES OF SOME SPECIES COMMONLY GROWN IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

RESPONSES OF SOME SPECIES COMMONLY GROWN IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

The following lists and comments are based on observations and reports made by G. Calvert, B. Jackes, J. Roach, G. Stocker et al., N. Tucker, and a report to the Cairns City Council on Cyclone “Winifred”, and covers cyclones in Queensland and the Northern Territory since Althea in 1971. This is not a fully comprehensive list as in many cases there were only a few specimens to note. Please look up details of possible height when selecting plants for particular areas. Photos of most of these trees can be found on the James Cook University Flora and Fauna web site.

MODERATELY RESISTANT SPECIES

Often lose large branches but retain the basic framework. Check out the height of the species before planting as some will be too big for the average allotment.

Scientific name	Common name	Comments
Acacia spp.	Wattle	Results varied with species.
Atractocarpus fitzalanii	Randia, Brown Gardenia	Probably better when somewhat protected, but many stood without any problem in ‘Yasi’, whilst others went over, small tree, tall shrub.
Buckinghamia celsissima	Ivory Curl Tree	Most once well established only lost some small branches.
Caesalpinia ferrea	Leopard Tree	Mixed results but most appeared relatively unscathed.
Cassia fistula	Cascara, Golden Shower, Indian Laburnum	Flowering within days, small limbs only lost; some weedy tendencies but can be easily controlled.
Cassia javanica	Pink Shower	Chiefly small limbs and leaves lost.
Casuarina spp.	She-oaks	Mixed results, C. equisetifolia the Coastal She-oak performed the best, normally grows close to the coast where there is wind, flexible foliage/branchlets.
Corymbia dallachiana	Dallachy’s Gum	Generally only lost leaves and the odd branch.
Corymbia ptychocarpa	Swamp Bloodwood	Loss of leaves and some smaller branches.
Corymbia tessellaris	Carbeen, Moreton Bay Ash	Loss of leaves chiefly although some fell probably because of root structure.
Delonix regia	Poinciana	Almost all Poincianas were flowering the day after ‘Yasi’ and ‘Althea’, some that had fallen appeared to have had roots damaged on one side. Some branches missing.
Dypsis decaryi	Triangle Palm	Plants to roof height seemed to do well.
Dypsis lutescens	Golden Cane Palm	These cluster palms form an excellent windbreak and act as debris collectors.
Eremophila bignoniifolia	Eremophila	Narrow leaves and flexible branches offered little wind resistance, shrub to small tree.
Eucalyptus phoenicea	Scarlet Gum	Although branches were lost, no trees appeared to have fallen or lost large branches.
Ficus benjamina.	Weeping Fig	This species seemed to perform better than F. bengalensis growing nearby on coast, possibly related to leaf size.
Ficus microcarpa	Small-fruited Fig	Several trees fell and some lost branches but the majority had minor damage only.
Flacourtia indica	Flacourtia	Only a few specimens around.
Grevillea baileyana	Bailey’s Grevillea	Mixed results, seemed to depend on planting strategy. Attractive trees worth growing.
Hibiscus tiliaceus	Beach Hibiscus, Coast Cottonwood	Soft multi-stemmed, accustomed to wind but generally failed in “Yasi’, grows quickly.
Mangifera indica	Mango	Seem to be able to withstand a category 3 with only minimal damage, offer good protection.
Melaleuca spp.	Paperbarks, Bottlebrushes	Non-locals often leaning or larger branches broken.
Phyllanthus acidus	Star Gooseberry, Gooseberry Tree	Small tree, with edible tart fruits, seems to ignore the wind.
Phyllanthus cuscutifolius	Pink Phyllanthus	Small tree, flexible.
Plumeria obtusa	Singapore Frangipani	This species seemed to survive much better than other species of Frangipanni. Many old and young plants observed untouched.
Samanea saman	RainTree	Possibly better avoided but most established trees only lost big branches.
Schefflera actinophylla	Umbrella Tree	Often lost some branches.
Syzygium tierneyanum	Bamaga Satinash	Relatively large tree, appeared to suffer little damage.
Syzygium spp.	Lilly Pilly, Lillypilly, Satinash	Most species had little damage, but some cultivars with very heavy foliage and/or without a well-developed root system fell or leant over. Structure remained and could be pulled up again.
Tabebuia spp and Handroanthus spp.	Pink or Yellow Trumpet Tree	Many lost the upper limbs and some fell over whilst others seemed unaffected – very variable response probably due to position.