Understorey Plants
CategoryExample of understory plants growing on the forest floor in low light
The plants that grow beneath the forest canopy. They are the underbrush or undergrowth that makes a rainforest lush down to ground level. Often these plants can grow in very low light.
Special
Lomandra hystrix - Mat Rush
$2.45 ($2.45-$12.75 choose a size)
This tufted hardy plant has arching strap-like leaves yellow-green flower spikes in spring. Suited to wet soils and is ideal for use around water features. It prefers part shade though will tolerate full sun. It can also be used indoors and will accept a wide range of soils and climates.
Lilly Pilly - Cherry Puff
$4.95 ($4.95-$12.90 choose a size)
Small to medium pendulous shrub to 3m high. New foliage is a very attractive bright pink. Flowers are large and crimson occurring in large fluffy heads.
Special
Lomandra longifolia - Mat Rush
$2.45 ($2.45-$12.75 choose a size)
Extremely versatile and hardy plants that will grow almost anywhere. An important stabilizing plant for river banks and streams as well as a useful ornamental grass in native gardens
Dianella Silver Streak ®
$12.95 ($4.90-$12.95 choose a size)
A clumping perennial with grey-green and white, striped, strappy leaves. Clusters of blue flowers appear on spikes in spring and summer and are held above the leaves. These are followed by shiny, dark blue berries. Excellent specimen for form and colour contrast in mixed beds. Ideal for mass planting and more formal landscape designs. Prefers a sunny position in well drained soil. Tolerant of dry periods and light frost.
Blueberry Ash - Prima Donna
$17.90
Small upright tree with masses of dainty, pink, fringed bell flowers followed by bird attractive blue berries. Hardy.
Native Ginger
$4.95 ($4.95-$14.90 choose a size)
A versatile plant loved by Aboriginal people. The ginger tasting roots were eaten and the flesh from the bright blue fruit. The large leaves were thatched and used to make shelters and to wrap food for cooking. Excellent landscape specimen.
Lilly Pilly - Cascade
$15.90 ($4.95-$15.90 choose a size)
This is a hybrid species of lilly pilly that looks similar to the powderpuff lilly pilly but it has pale pink flowers followed by yummy pale pink fruits. Excellent for Hedges
Baeckia - Clarence River
$14.95 ($4.90-$14.95 choose a size)
Fine, weeping foliage and abundant white flowers in Spring and Summer, make this pretty shrub a good addition to a native garden. Perfect for a medium height, informal hedge
Banana Bush
$15.90 ($2.95-$15.90 choose a size)
An understory plant native to mid north NSW to North QLD. Appreciates good light but not direct sun. These pretty yellow fruits resemble tiny bananas however they are not edible.
Birds Nest Fern
$17.90
An epiphyte fern that grows on rocks and on trees where large specimens can circle the tree trunk. native to eastern New South Wales and Queensland. The clumps can reach a large size, with the centre of the fern acting as a reservoir for debris. They make a spectacular understory planting in rainforest gardens, and are suitable for growing in shade houses and as house plants in a shaded position.
Blue flax-lily
$9.90 ($3.95-$14.75 choose a size)
An evergreen tuft-forming perennial. Produces panicles of small star-shaped flowers in summer. Flowers followed by blue berries.
Blue Tongue
$12.90 ($4.90-$12.90 choose a size)
Widespread native, very attractive bushy shrub with dark green leaves and large pink to mauve flowers over many months. Also produces sweet, edible blue-black berries. Its scientific name Melastoma, means black (mela) tongue (stoma). Often confused with the exotic tibouchina. Very hardy.
Blueberry ash
$3.90 ($3.90-$14.90 choose a size)
Small upright tree with masses of dainty, white, fringed bell flowers followed by bird attractive blue berries. A strikingly beautiful with a dense crown of foliage, needs little maintenance to thrive, surviving well in low nutrient and dry soils, grows well from shade through to full sun.
Bolwarra
$4.90 ($4.90-$9.90 choose a size)
An adaptable, handsome plant useful for shady places or as a tub specimen. The fruits are pleasantly scented, sweet and edible. The flowers are strongly perfumed and the bark was used by Indigenous Australians for making fishing lines.
Cordyline - Broad leaved palm lily
$4.95 ($4.95-$16.90 choose a size)
This is an excellent container plant with palm like foliage. An native understory rainforest plant. Very hardy and attractive landscape specimen.
Cordyline - Narrow-leaved palm lily
$4.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
Medium cordyline found in all major types of rainforest north of to the McPherson Range. An elegant plant with purple to black fruit, well suited to smaller gardens to create a lush, rainforest feeling. It can grow in sun or shade, and in shallow or deep soils. Though it thrives in moist conditions, it is very drought tolerant; so an established plant should require little supplemental watering. Its tolerance of low light and water also make it an attractive and low-maintenance pot plant for indoors or outdoors.
Cordyline - Red fruited Palm Lily
$4.90 ($4.90-$14.90 choose a size)
This is smaller and less bushy than other Palm Lilies, so is ideal for mixing with other plants. Flowers in late spring, grows to 2-3m, and has short, broad leaves with shiny, red berries.
Cunjevoi Lily
$15.90 ($4.95-$19.75 choose a size)
A clumping plant up to 1.5m in height with large, green, spade-shaped leaves. This plant has a fragrant flower and juicy sweet smelling, red fruits. All parts of this plant are poisonous. Believed to be the antidote for the Giant Stinging Tree.
Cut leaf mint Bush
$4.95 ($4.95-$14.90 choose a size)
Fine leaved bushy shrub with a strongly aromatic leaves that are distilled for their essential oils. Violet flowers with small fruit. 1m. In poorly drained soils it can be susceptible to root-rot. It has reasonable frost tolerance down to minus 5 deg. It is a fast-growing shrub, and consequently can be harvested within the first year. When pruned back to a height of 50cm it reshoots readily
Cycad - Burrawang
$24.90 ($23.90-$24.90 choose a size)
A native cycad with a sturdy trunk and palm-like, green leaves up to 1.8m long. Grows in full sun or full shade and tolerates light frosts. Ideal for large containers or general garden planting.
Cycad - Macrozamia johnsonii
$9.90
A large and spectacular cycad that is endemic to New South Wales and which, by far, is the largest of the New South Wales Macrozamia species, with a stout columnar trunk ranging up to 3 meters in height.
Cycad - Scaly Zamia
$19.75
A striking landscaping plant to 3 meters. Slow growing and as they age they develop a thick trunk much like a grass tree. A member of the cycad family. Ideal for using as an understory plant in a partial shade position.
Davidsons Plum - QLD
$21.90 ($4.90-$24.75 choose a size)
Outstanding small tree for warm position or indoors. Large pinnate leaves make it a striking specimen plant. The edible purple fruits have bright red flesh and make excellent jam. Prefers some shade. Fruits in the autumn and winter. The plum-sized fruit hang from the crown in panicles. Native to North QLD and SE QLD rainforests.
Fern Leaved Tamarind
$17.90 ($4.90-$17.90 choose a size)
A beautiful, showing rainforest tree from North Queensland. Its ferny foliage flushes with soft pink new growth making it a stunning feature tree for rainforest plantings. Small yellow flowers are follow but the bright yellow seed pods that split to reveal the red seeds. It requires a sheltered, frost free site and is slow growing buts its bushy habit and colourful foliage means it always looks gorgeous.
Finger Lime
$21.90 ($4.90-$21.90 choose a size)
This is a seedling selection from our grafted varieties. They have a thin skin that ranges in colour from green, yellow, red, purple to even a black. The inner cells are cylindrical balls filled with lime juice. Very hardy. The bushy thorny foliage is a perfect protective habitat for small birds to nest in addition to their fruits.
Finger Lime - Alstonville
$46.95
Mostly seedless fruit with lime green vesicles, the skin is smooth and brown with green tinges. A highly productive selection with excellent quality fruit. Fruits are 7-12 cm long when fully ripe.
Finger Lime - Jali Red
$40.95 ($29.90-$46.95 choose a size)
Bright pinkish-red vesicles are held inside a dark brown to maroon coloured skin. Good flavour and a high yielding variety.
Finger Lime- Judys Everbearing
$34.00 ($34.00-$79.00 choose a size)
Large juice vesicles are clear light green to pink in colour with few seeds, the skin is Khaki, dark brown and maroon in colour. The trees is most productive between Summer and Autumn with a light crop throughout the year. Heavy crops of high quality fruit are produced, the flavour is aromatic with a lemon lime flavour.
Gardenia - Narrow-leaved
$9.90 ($2.95-$9.90 choose a size)
Gorgeous scented flowers, and ornamental fruit and flowers make this an attractive small shrub for any bush food garden. The fruit often appear in large numbers in the winter. The sweet pink pulp with a bitter after taste surrounds the hard cream coloured seeds. Slow growing.
Golden Guinea Vine
$15.90 ($4.90-$15.90 choose a size)
A sprawling native groundcover or climber with large golden flowers all year. Will flower best in full sun, this plant will grow in a variety of conditions from exposed coastal dunes to sheltered mountain areas. Prefers soils with good drainage. Very hardy and salt tolerant.
Golden Tip
$9.90
Uncommon, this shrub grows to about 3m, it is native to rainforests of Springbrook and Mt Glorious. Bright yellow pea flowers during the winter and spring make this an attractive adition to rainforest gardens and regeneration plots.
Graptophyllum - Holly-leaved
$12.95
Medium shrub 3-5m high found in fairly dry rainforest areas or along creek banks. Bright scarlet flowers occur in spring and early summer. Makes an attractive plant which is becoming more common in cultivation. It is fairly quick growing in warmer climates but may be slow in cool temperate areas. The species prefers light shade for best results. Judicious pruning will maintain a bushy habit and promote prolific flowering. This species would quite probably be suitable for tub growing
Gymea Lily
$9.90 ($2.95-$9.90 choose a size)
Large leaves and large upright bright red flower heads. Grows best in partial shade but will tolerate full sun. Frost hardy although flowers can be damaged by heavy frost. Excellent accent plant or large container plant.
Hoya
$12.90
Commonly known as waxflower native hoya is found on rocky slopes of dry rainforest margins. It is a popular potted house plant where it enjoys a well lit position and is ideal for hanging baskets, verandahs and patios. The native Hoya is noted for its fragrant flowers. It grows 4-10 m in ideal climates but can be pruned to a shorter length. It is the host plant for the caterpillars of the Common Australian Crow butterfly and its flowers are pollinated by the Grass-dart.
Indigofera australis - Austral indigo
$2.95
A small slender shrub of the pea family, the Austral indigo bears attractive mauve flowers in winter and spring. The flowers are and excellent source of pollen and nectar for many native insects and it is the host plant for the Tailed pea-blue and Common Grass-blue butterflies. Tip pruning will improve the appearance and encourage a bushy form. Indigenous Australians used the crushed leaves or roots to kill or stun fish and eels.
Large Pennywort
$4.95
A bright green succulent plants that creeps along the ground. Thrives in moist sites and rainforest margins. The smooth leaves are kidney shaped or round, to 10cm diameter.
Little Evodia
$3.90 ($3.90-$14.90 choose a size)
This is a beautiful small rainforest tree from North Queensland. Fast growing and tolerant of light frosts the vibrant lolly pink flowers light up the tree in summer. It is one of the food plants for the brilliant blue Ulysses butterfly.
Mackinlaya macrosciadia - Forest umbrella tree
$2.95
Medium shrub to 3m. Compound leaves similar to those of the Umbrella Tree. Bluish fruits with dark red flesh and juice.
Midyim Berry
$4.90 ($4.90-$17.90 choose a size)
A low spreading shrub with dainty foliage developing a reddish shade in colder climates. The white tea tree like flowers are followed by sweet edible mauve-white speckled berries. A very decorative ground cover.
Mountain Pepper
$19.75
Trial Product, Daley's is currently trialling this product, but we will not have them available for sale in the foreseeable future. If you are interested in this item please request the email notification from this page, but at this stage we cannot give you an estimated time of availability.Attractive aromatic shrub growing 2- 5 m high, it has attractive red stems. Plants are male or female with the small black berries ripening in the autumn. The leaf and berry are both dried and used as a spice. The berries are sweet first at first with a peppery aftertaste. Native to rainforest gullies from Tasmania north to the Barrington Tops where it prefers a cool climate.
Native Gardenia
$12.90 ($3.95-$14.75 choose a size)
An evergreen rainforest tree with attractive glossy foliage and highly perfumed, small, white, tubular flowers, in spring. They also produce a large, edible, yellow fruit. Ideal for large tubs, shade tree or somewhere the delicious scent can be enjoyed.
Native Ginger - Atherton Red Back
$14.90 ($4.90-$15.90 choose a size)
Versatile plant used by Aboriginal people. The ginger tasting roots were eaten and the flesh from the bright blue fruit. This Red Coloured form is from Atherton Tablelands. The large leaves were thatched and used to make shelters and to wrap food for cooking.
Native pomegranate
$9.90
Small tree with large, lightly scented, white flowers that have over 100 spreading stamens, flowers from Nov to Jan.Round green fruits on long stalks from March to May. 6m
Native Violet
$4.90
Small spreading ground cover forming extensive mats in damp areas. White and purple violet-shaped flowers for long periods. Flowers are edible and can be used in salads. Full sun to part shade. Dies back in winter. Useful for hanging baskets
Native Wampee - Gregs
$14.75 ($4.95-$14.90 choose a size)
An evergreen shrub to 6m, native to eastern Australia where it is very rare. Leaves are lemon scented when crushed and form a dense canopy of shiny green foliage, white showy flowers followed by very attractive edible pale pinkish-white fruits.
Palm - Bangalow
$16.90 ($4.90-$79.00 choose a size)
Tall graceful, fast growing palm which can stand boggy ground, full shade or some exposure. Frost tender when young. Mature specimens display large clusters of bird-attractive red fruits.
Palm - Black
$12.90 ($12.90-$14.75 choose a size)
The black palm is endemic to the wet tropics of north Queensland. The edible flesh of the fruits are much sought after by cassowaries. Black palms will only thrive in situations that are humid and warm year round. They need rich soil and some shade when young.
Palm - Cabbage
$15.90 ($2.95-$15.90 choose a size)
Tall palm with a large crown of fan-shaped fronds. Massed cream flowers are followed by black fruits. Hardy in full sun and various soils, but needs plenty of water. Attractive indoor plant, although prickly.
Palm - Foxtail
$21.90 ($21.90-$24.75 choose a size)
First discovered in 1978 in a tiny area with Melville National Park, this palm is now one of the most widely planted in the world. Famous for it bushy fronds and slightly bulbous base. Able to survive heat, salt winds and seasonally dry conditions. Slow growing.
Palm - Walking Stick
$4.90 ($4.90-$24.75 choose a size)
This native miniature palm is found as an understorey throughout the subtropical rainforest's of Australia. Growth is very slow in it's initial stages but very worthwhile to nurture as it is very attractive as an indoor plant. Orange fruits are edible.
Popular in Category: Understorey Plants
Special
Lomandra hystrix - Mat Rush
$2.45 ($2.45-$12.75 choose a size)
This tufted hardy plant has arching strap-like leaves yellow-green flower spikes in spring. Suited to wet soils and is ideal for use around water features. It prefers part shade though will tolerate full sun. It can also be used indoors and will accept a wide range of soils and climates.
Lilly Pilly - Cherry Puff
$4.95 ($4.95-$12.90 choose a size)
Small to medium pendulous shrub to 3m high. New foliage is a very attractive bright pink. Flowers are large and crimson occurring in large fluffy heads.
Dianella Silver Streak ®
$12.95 ($4.90-$12.95 choose a size)
A clumping perennial with grey-green and white, striped, strappy leaves. Clusters of blue flowers appear on spikes in spring and summer and are held above the leaves. These are followed by shiny, dark blue berries. Excellent specimen for form and colour contrast in mixed beds. Ideal for mass planting and more formal landscape designs. Prefers a sunny position in well drained soil. Tolerant of dry periods and light frost.
Special
Lomandra longifolia - Mat Rush
$2.45 ($2.45-$12.75 choose a size)
Extremely versatile and hardy plants that will grow almost anywhere. An important stabilizing plant for river banks and streams as well as a useful ornamental grass in native gardens
Blue flax-lily
$9.90 ($3.95-$14.75 choose a size)
An evergreen tuft-forming perennial. Produces panicles of small star-shaped flowers in summer. Flowers followed by blue berries.
Customer Tips & Reviews Understorey Plants
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Pararistolochia praevenosa - Richmond Birdwing Vine
I really think that it is inportant to help the Richmond Birdwing Butterfly by planting this vine and it is extremely hard to purchase.
