Plants – seacoast

Plants of the dunes and beachfront – these are the plants that inhabit and stablise the frontal dunes, the more permanent dunes that lie behind them, and rocky headlands.

Acacia flavescens Primrose Ball wattle

• One of several common Teewah wattles.
• Identified by its broad scimitar-shaped leaves with 3 distinct veins, and ball-shaped flowers.
• Flowers in autumn and early winter.
• Pods are flattened.

Acacia leiocalyx Lamb’s Tail Wattle

• Common around Teewah.
• Flowers are long yellow rods – like lamb’s tails.
• Stems have sharp angles, red when young.
• Leaves not as wide as A. flavescens, longer than A. sophorae.
• Pods are loose coils.

Acacia sophorae Coastal Wattle

• Introduced to the North Shore to help stablise dunes during sand mining.
• Can be found at Teewah just south of the vehicle track to the beach.
• Flowers are on spikes, shorter than A. leicalyx, and a deeper yellow.
• Leaf tips are blunt.
• Pods are like long thin beans, thin and a bit curved, not coils.

Acronychia imperforata Beach Acronychia

• Common on the coastal strip above the frontal dunes, also in wallum woodlands and rain forest.
• Very attractive tree which hedges well.
• Sprays of yellow starry flowers.
• Notched leaaves are an identification feature.
• Ripe fruit are orange/yellow.

Alectryon coriaceus Beach Bird’s Eye

• Very common behind the frontal dunes and around Teewah.
• A tough shrub and tree with dark green leaves, hedges well.
• The yellow flowers and red three-lobed fruit are a conspicuous feature; hence the common name.

Austromyrtus dulcis Midyim

• Very common shrub along the coast.
• A tough ground cover.
• The fruit are reported to be edible, have a sweet peppery taste and are eaten and spread by birds.

Banksia integrifolia subsp. integrifolia Coast Honeysuckle

• Prominent along the coast among the first line of trees beyond the dunes, with Casuarinas.
• Attractive to a wide variety of birds, including Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, which shred the hard cones to extract seeds.
• Leaves are white on the reverse side; an attracting garden plant.

Cakile edentula Sea Rocket (INTRODUCED WEED)

• A pretty herb of the dunes, but it is an invasive weed.
• Not common at Teewah at the moment, but potentially a threat
• Comes in two closely related forms, American and European

Canavalia rosea Jack Bean of the Beaches

• One of the trailing vines that help hold the dunes together in rough weather.
• The fruit is a flat pod, rather like a culinary broad bean.

Caprobrotus glaucescens Pig Face

• A herb found in the frontal dunes amongst creepers and Spinifex. Important for stablising dunes.
• Leaves angular and fleshy, pink flowers attractive to native bees and other insects.
• Fruit reported to be edible.

Cassytha filiformis Dodder

• There are three local species of Dodder, which are parasitic plants which obtain part of their nutrients from parent plants by attaching tiny suckers that are located along the threadlike stems.
• Dodders occur commonly on coastal plants, but also in other vegetation groups.

Casuarina equisetifolia Coast She-oak, Horsetail Oak

• Prominent in the first line of trees behind the dunes, along with Banksia integrifolia.
• Important in erosion control.
• Conspicuous because of drooping foliage.
• The foliage is blue-grey, distinguishing it from Allocasuarina littoralis which grows further inland in the wallum woodlands.
• Male and female flowers separate, but on the same tree. Cones hard underfoot.

Corymbia tessellaris Carbeen, Moreton Bay Ash

• The most common Eucalypt/Corymbia near the Teewah coastline. Also present in Eucalypt forests.
• The lower section of the bark is rough and tessellated, the upper section smooth.
• When exposed to south-east winds, the foliage is sheared by salt, giving the tree a list to the north-west.

Crinum pedunculatum Swamp Lily

• Swamp lilies are common in the wetter swales at the top of the beach.
• It bears showy white flowers on long stalks, and large bulbs.
• They are often attacked by Crinum Grubs which can destroy whole plants, but they soon recover.

Cyclophyllum coprosmoides Beach Canthium

• A shrub or small tree, very common around Teewah Village.
• The berries are colourful, turning orange to red when ripe.
• The flowers are creamy-white and starry.

Dianella congesta Beach Flax Lily

• Grassy-looking herb on the dunes, important in resisting erosion.
• Shorter in stature when compared with Dianella species from other vegetation groups around Teewah.
• The purple/blue berries are formed on nodding heads, and are reported to be edible, but may cause headaches.

Hibbertia scandens Twining Guinea Flower

• Common vine with butter-yellow flowers found in the dunes, but also in eucalypt forests and wallum wetlands.
• It is a weak climber.
• Red seeds are produced in green capsules.

Hibiscus tiliaceous Cotton Tree

• Cotton Trees are associated with tidal wetlands, but along Teewah Beach they occur in the swales at the top of the beach where water often drains out of the sand hills.
• Trees can be quite sizable and the bright yellow hibiscus flowers are a feature from spring to autumn.
• Often used in gardens, they produce multiple stems unless pruned.

Hydrocotyle bonariensis Beach Pennywort (INTRODUCED WEED)

• This plant is a weed from the Americas and possibly southern Europe.
• At Teewah, it is found along the coastal strip particularly in wetter areas just above the dunes.

Ipomea pes-caprae Goat’s Foot Convolvulus

• Named for the shape of the leaf like a goat’s foot.
• A very important stabliser of the frontal dunes, along with Beach Spinifex, Dune Bean, Jack Bean and others.
• Purple trumpet-shaped flowers are a feature.

Myoporium acuminatum Coastal Boobialla

• Attractive compact shrub found found in the swales behind the frontal dunes.
• Flowers throughout the year, producing cupped white flowers and pink/purple berries.
• An attractive plant for the garden.

Oenothera drummondii Beach Evening Primrose (INTRODUCED WEED)

• Beach Primrose is and introduced creeper/ground cover which is common in the upper part of the dune system.
• It was used to stablise dunes but at this stage does not appear to be too invasive at Teewah.
• The attractive yellow flowers open in the evening but are short-lived.

Oxalis corniculata Creeping Oxalis (INTRODUCED WEED)

• Creeping Oxalis is an exotic weed commonly found amongst the flora of the dunes.
• It is conspicuous because of its bright yellow flowers and shamrock-style leaves.

Pandanus tectorius Screw Pine, Pandanus

• Pandanus is an iconic feature of Teewah Beach and occurs all the way to Double Island Point.
• It is subject to Pandanus dieback caused by an insect, Jamella australis.
• Male and female flowers are produced on different trees.
• The female cones drop yellow/orange fleshyseeds that become fibrous seeds when mature.

Petalostigma pubescens Quinine Berry

• A small to medium height tree with dark green foliage and gnarly bark.
• It flowers in winter and autumn, and male and female flowers are borne on different trees.
• The berries are cherry sized, bright yellow when ripe and are quite bitter, as the name suggests.

Phebalium woombye Wallum Phebalium, Salt-and-pepper Bush

• This attractive shrub grows to 2m and occurs on the coast and in heaths and wallum wetlands.
• It produces small bunches of starry white flowers, emerging from cinnamon-coloured buds.
• The undersides of the leaves are very pale. Stems and leaves are flecked with brown dots, like salt and pepper.

Pimelea linifolia Rice Flower

• Rice Flower is a small shrub or ground cover with very attractive white or pink flowers in tight heads.
• It is found in wet heath and wallum woodlands as well as on the coast.

Scaevola calendulacea Scented Fan Flower

• As the name suggests, the flowers are fan-shaped.
• It occurs in the dunes as a sprawling herb.
• Flowers are bright blue, berries are dark blue to purple, almost black.

Spinifex sericeus Beach Spinifex

• This grass plays an important role in binding sand in the frontal dunes. During erosion events, the stolons can be seen protruding from the erosed sand cliffs.
• Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. The male flowers look a little like heads of wheat. Female flowers are spiky balls that blow around like tumble weeds.

Vigna marina Dune Bean

• Dune Beans are, like Beach Spinifex and Goat’s Foot Convolvulus, important for holding the dunes together,and are common in the swales at the top of the beach.
• The bright yellow flowers are evident for most of the year.
• Being a legume, it produces beans not unlike culinary green beans.