What to plant in dark alluvial soils

Dark alluvial soils are known for their rich, dark colour and high fertility.

Plants for dark alluvial soils

There are many plants that thrive in dark alluvial soils, including natives.

Common name	Botanical name	Features
Blue flax lily	Dianella longifolia	Small lily of open eucalypt forest Blue flowers and bright blue berries Suits rockery or foreground planting
Kangaroo grass	Themeda triandra	Widespread grass of the eucalypt forest Fine foliage Coppery seed heads in summer
Many-flowered mat rush	Lomandra multiflora	Small, grass-like plant for sunny sites Sprays of miniature flowers Evening perfume Attracts butterflies
Scrambling lily	Geitonoplesium cymosum	Grassy-leafed scrambler Shiny black berry and dainty white, perfumed flowers Fresh shoots are edible
Wonga vine	Pandorea pandorana	Vigorous twining vine in shaded forest situation Ferny foliage Showy sprays of small trumpet flowers

Common name	Botanical name	Features
Dogwood	Jacksonia scoparia	Fine-leafed hardy shrub for sunny position Clusters of yellow pea flowers Porous soils
False coffee bush	Breynia oblongifolia	Small shrub with arching branches Small red-black fruit Prefers open, well drained, moist site Attracts butterflies
Hop bush	Dodonaea triquetra	Shrub with distinctive clusters of bronze hop-like fruit Likes partial shade and a moist, well-drained position
Pointed-leaf hovea	Hovea acutifolia	Fine open shrub Purple pea flowers in late winter Prefers filtered light and deeper soils

Common name	Botanical name	Features
Brisbane laurel	Pittosporum revolutum	Open shrub with cream flowers Evening fragrance Yellow fruit open to reveal red seeds Attracts birds
Geebung	Persoonia cornifolia	Hardy shrub with upright habit Mid-green foliage Small, yellow fuschia-like flowers Yellow edible fruit
Green kamala	Mallotus claoxyloides	"Smell of the bush" shrub for understorey in rainforest garden Male and female plants
Large native olive	Notelaea longifolia	Dense, rounded shrub Fruit attracts birds
Wild may	Leptospermum polygalifolium	Hardy, fine-leafed shrub Open arching habit Useful in mass plantings Small white flowers in summer

Common name	Botanical name	Features
Blackwood	Acacia melanoxylon	Shapely, dense small tree Mid-green foliage Prefers moist deep soils Cream pom-pom blossom in summer
Hard quandong	Elaeocarpus obovatus	Tree of creeksides Dense, mid-green foliage Clean grey trunk Small white flowers and small blue fruits
Red ash	Alphitonia excelsa	Clean grey bark Dark green, leathery leaves that are silver underneath Attracts birds and butterflies
Red kamala	Mallotus philippensis	Nicely shaped tree if grown in sun Can be pruned to give new reddish growth Velvety red fruit
Tulipwood	Harpullia pendula	Shade tree Disease free and hardy Bright green pinnate foliage Decorative orange fruit persists

Common name	Botanical name	Features
Moreton Bay ash	Corymbia tessellaris	Large tree for acreage or steep sites Comprised original canopy of the area Trunks are a feature Provides food, nest and perch sites for numerous and varied native wildlife
Pink bloodwood	Corymbia intermedia	Large tree for acreage or steep sites Comprised original canopy of the area Trunks are a feature Provides food, nest and perch sites for numerous and varied native wildlife
Tallowwood	Eucalyptus microcorys	Large tree for acreage or steep sites Comprised original canopy of the area Trunks are a feature Provides food, nest and perch sites for numerous and varied native wildlife

Work with your local soil type

Knowing what type of soil you have can help you choose the best plants for a sustainable garden.

Use our soil type tool to find out what type of soil you have in your suburb.

Looking for something else

Brisbane trees

Compost rebate program

Verge gardens