FORAGE TREES SUITABLE FOR FLYING FOXES

Home

David McMinn

This has been published with the permission of the Agricultural Department and was sourced from their book This is recommended reading for those interested. Unfortunately, it is now out of print, but it should be available in local libraries.

When planting out plots of native species, it is important to have a wide range of species, so that flowers and/or fruit are produced over the whole year. This is to provide fruit bats, and many other animal and bird species, with a reasonably reliable food supply.

All species are native to the Northern Rivers and south east Queensland, unless otherwise indicated. Three sections have been presented. 1) Ficus species. 2) Eucalyptus & 3) Other Species.

Native Fig Species	Height (m)	Growth Rate	Time of Attraction to Flying Foxes.
Weeping Fig (NEQ) Ficus benjamina	15-20	Fastest of the native Ficus	July - December
Creek Sandpaper Fig* Ficus coronata	3-10	Fast	January - September
Sandpaper Fig* Ficus fraseri	6	Fast	May - February
Moreton Bay Fig Ficus macrophylla	12-20	Fast	February - May
Ficus microcarpa var hillii	15	Fast	Spring
Small Leaf Fig* Ficus obliqua	15-20	Moderate	March - July
Cluster Fig (NEQ) Ficus racemosa	15	Moderate	October - March
Port Jackson Fig* Ficus rubiginosa	15-20	Moderate	February - July
Cedar Fig Ficus superba var henneana	15		January - August
White Fig Ficus virens	15	Moderate	June - October
Nipple Fig* Ficus watkinsiana	15-25	Fast	July - September
* Recommended species from Trees For The North Coast. Lines-Kelly, Rebecca & Currey, Anne (Eds). 1992. NSW Department of Agriculture Abbreviation: NEQ - Native to north east Queensland only.

Rainforest Species	Height (m)	Growth Rate	Time of Attraction to Flying Foxes.
Lillypilly Acmena smithii	6-8	Moderate	March - July
Ash species Alphitonia species	8	Fast	September - November
Bangalow Palm Archontopheonix cunninghamii	15	Fast in wet soils	December - May
Black Bean Tree Castanospernum australe	15-20	Medium-Fast once established	October - November
Native Tamarind Diploglottis australis	10	Moderate	October - November
Koda Ehretia acuminata	8	Moderate	January - April
Hard Quandong Elaeocarpus obovatus	12	Fast	January - April
White Mahogany Eucalyptus acmenoides	20-30	Moderate	November -December
Red Bloodwood Eucalyptus
Sliky Oak Grevillea robusta	20-30	Fast	September - October
Walking Stick Palm Linospadix monstachyus	2	Slow	Febraury - April
Cabbage Tree Palm Livistona australis	20	Moderate once established	March - June
Turpentine Syncarpia glomulifera	20-25	Moderate	September - October
Brush Cherry Syzygium australe	8-10	Moderate	December - April
Water Gum Tristaniopsis laurina	12	Moderate	December - January

SPECIES FLOWERING FLOWERING

TIME FREQUENCY

Eucalyptus

E saligna Jan - Feb 1 in 3 years

E moluccana Feb - Mar 1 in 2 years

E grandis Mar - April 1 in 2 years

E robusta April - July 1 in 2 years

E dunnii winter

E tereticornis Aug - Oct 1 in 3 years

E paniculata Sept - Dec 1 in 2 years

E umbra Nov - Dec 1 in 2 years

E acmenoides Nov - Dec 1 in 3 years

Lophostemon

L confertus Nov - Jan 1 in 3 years

Syncarpia

S glomulifera Sept - Oct 1 in 2 years

T laurina Dec - Jan 1 in 2 years