Queensland Maple Tree

Queensland Maple (Flindersia brayleyana) is an Australian rainforest tree that makes a fast, generous canopy in a warm garden. Expect around 12m tall and 7m wide in cultivation, with a straight trunk and glossy compound leaves that hold their colour all year. Sprays of small white and cream flowers bring bees and butterflies through the warmer months. Despite the name it is not a true maple but a native cabinet timber tree.

Why you'll love it

• Shade in a hurry. It grows fast for a rainforest species, so a young tree starts casting useful shade within a few years rather than a decade.
• Australian native, and the wildlife knows it. The cream flower sprays feed bees and butterflies, and it supports local insect life as an exotic shade tree cannot.
• Evergreen and handsome year round. Glossy paired leaflets and a pale straight trunk, with no leafless season.
• Built for humid, windy country. Humidity tolerant, wind tolerant and heat tolerant, which suits coastal and hinterland gardens in the north and east.

Where it works best

Shade tree. This is the main use. Give it 7m of clear space in a lawn or a large back garden and let the canopy develop its natural spreading dome.

Screening and privacy. Plant 4m apart for a tall screen. That spacing suits a boundary that needs to block a two storey outlook, not a fence line, since the canopy sits high once the tree matures.

Driveways and avenues. Spaced 8m to 10m apart it makes an impressive avenue on an acreage entry, with enough clearance underneath for vehicles.

Growing Queensland Maple in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, though young plants prefer shelter for the first year or two, as under a rainforest canopy. This is a tree for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts, the tablelands and frosty southern gardens are outside its range.

Soil. Deep, fertile, well drained soil suits it best, reflecting the volcanic rainforest country it comes from. Work compost through a wide planting bed and mulch 75mm deep, kept off the trunk.

Water and feed. It is not a drought tree. Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers and keep water up through dry spells after that. Feed a complete slow release fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer.

Pruning. Formative only. Remove competing leaders while the tree is young to keep a single straight trunk, and lift the lower branches for clearance. Mature trees need nothing.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 300mm, 25L, 45L and 100L. The 300mm and 25L plants are young, often around a metre, and establish quickly if you are planting several. The 45L and 100L trees arrive with a formed trunk and real height, which is the choice when you want shade sooner.

Some leaf drop after transit is normal for a rainforest species and grows out within a month. Plant it out of hot afternoon sun for the first summer. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every tree carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Choosing canopy trees for shade
• Browse the Australian native tree range
• Compare fast growing shade trees
• Advanced trees for immediate height

Common questions

How big does it really get?

In its native rainforest it can reach 30m, but in an open garden with no competition for light it settles at around 12m tall and 7m wide. Plan for that size, not the forest figure.

Will it survive frost?

Only light frost, and only once established. Young plants are vulnerable, so in warm temperate gardens at the edge of its range give it a sheltered northern aspect and protect it through the first two winters.

Is it suitable near a house or pool?

It is a large tree with a substantial root system, so keep it at least 6m from foundations, paving and pool shells. Leaves drop through the year, so expect regular skimming if it overhangs water.