Macaranga tanarius are commonly called Bullock Hearts or simply Macarangas. They are a pioneer plant so grow in abundance after soil disturbance. This quality is why they are incorrectly labelled as weeds. They also grow well from seed, so this adds to their weed like behaviour. Common throughout most ecosystems in the Noosa area, their distribution includes South East Asia and the Pacific. The tree can reach a height of 15m but is generally around 10m.
Being a pioneer plant, they grow very quickly, and this quality is useful in gardens, especially in areas that are lacking shade. The big heart shaped leaves provide lots of shade for emerging or newly added plants. Putting Macarangas in the ground 6 months or so before planting a garden will help new plants establish and thrive, especially species that don’t do well in full sun. Macarangas can always be cut out once the plants in a new garden are doing well and shading each other.
The second useful characteristic of Macarangas is that they respond well to being pruned. Remove the lower leaves to encourage them to grow tall. When a shorter and wider shape is needed, the tops can be cut off and they will spread out. The arrangement of the big leaves makes the tree hard to look through, so they can be used as a screen.
With the risk of bushfires high in the area, Macarangas are a great choice for trees in a big backyard or rural property. They are fire resistant or retardant so don’t burn as well as other tree types.
The Macaranga is a great tree to have in a Noosa garden, especially where shade or screening are desired. Birds, ants, frogs and butterflies use the tree for food and habitat so that is an added bonus and will bring the wildlife into the yard. Posted by Michelle.
For more information click on the links below:
