Tree of the Month

Each month we showcase an iconic or loved tree in Holdfast Bay. The tree of the month aims to increase the awareness of the value of trees in the City of Holdfast Bay, highlighting the important role trees play in our city such as shade, cooling, clean air, fauna habitat, wellbeing and connection to nature.

Species: Allocasuarina verticillata (drooping sheoak)
Family: Casuarinacea
Origin: SA
Flowering time: Autumn, winter
Flower colour: Yellow, red
Purpose: Habitat, screen
Canopy cover (approximate shade provided): 2 – 5 metres
Approximate age: 13 years old
Estimated amenity value: $5777.20

Our October Tree of the Month looks like it could be two trees in one – that’s because this drooping sheoak is also hosting a mistletoe plant, which has embedded itself on one of the branches and is growing successfully.

The tree, which can be found at Shannon Avenue Reserve, Glenelg North, is also surrounded by flourishing natives, which together have boosted the area’s biodiversity score by 400 per cent in six years, from 8 to 40.

Since we started the Tree of the Month campaign in 2021, this is the second tree hosting mistletoe to be featured.

The first, another sheoak, was our Tree of the Month in June 2021 in Gilbertson Gully, Seacliff.

This particular mistletoe is Lysiana exocarpi (harlequin mistletoe), is semi-parisitic and came to live on the tree thanks to the droppings of a mistletoe bird.

With care and maintenance, after 20 years, this tree could potentially:

• offset 214 kilometres worth of CO2 emitted from the average petrol-powered passenger vehicles
• absorb enough stormwater to fill 2390 bathtubs
• remove an amount of pollution from the air – in gaseous and particulate form – equivalent in weight to 192 smartphones

Is there a tree that you love or that you think deserves recognition in the City of Holdfast Bay? Take the time to nominate it by completing the form below.