Native Trees

Tulipwood — Harpullia pendula

Harpullia pendula

Food for native birds Host plant for butterflies and insects Shelter for wildlife Resilient garden plant

$7.00

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Plant profile

At a glance

The essentials for finding the right garden position.

Mature size: Height: 8–15 m · Width: 5–9 m
Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water: Moist
Soil: Sandy, Loamy
Drainage: Free-draining
Vegetation type: Coastal, Wet Eucalypt, Rainforest
Plant lifespan: Long-lived perennial
Plant form: Trees

Plant ratings

A quick guide to this plant’s value for wildlife and the garden.

Bird food value
Host plant value
Pollinator value
Shelter & habitat value
Flower display
Garden resilience

About this plant

With its naturally informal form, Tulipwood makes a distinctive feature tree in a spacious native garden. Cream-green flowers are followed by yellow-orange capsules that open to reveal glossy black seeds. Given room to develop, it can become a valuable upper layer in a naturalistic or wildlife-friendly planting.

Image credits:
Mature image: Forest & Kim Starr via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 3.0
Feature image: Tatiana Gerus via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0

More plant details

Garden uses: Habitat tree, shade or canopy planting, restoration-style garden and layered wildlife corridor; especially suited to sites reflecting Coastal, Wet Eucalypt, Rainforest.
Wildlife value: Harpullia pendula has some pollinator value, but its flowers are less abundant, less accessible or not a major garden food resource. Harpullia pendula produces substantial fleshy fruit and/or forms a major foraging plant for fruit-eating birds. Harpullia pendula provides useful tree structure for cover, perching and movement through a layered garden. A food plant for Bright Cornelian butterfly caterpillars (Deudorix diovis), which feed inside its seeds, and Small Purple Line-blue caterpillars (Prosotas dubiosa), which eat the buds and flowers.
Flowering and fruiting: Cream-green flowers are followed by yellow-orange capsules that open to reveal glossy black seeds.
Growth habit: Woody tree contributing canopy or mid-storey structure; indicative mature size 8–15 m × 5–9 m.
Cautions: Can form a substantial, dense-canopied tree; allow adequate root and canopy room.