“Come, little leaves” said the wind one day,
“Come o’er the meadow with me and play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold.
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”
George Cooper
For many Australians, the idea of autumn conjures an image akin to the whimsical quote below – of colourful leaves blown helplessly in strong gusts of chilly pre-winter wind and of trees cloaked in dying leaves turning gold, red and orange. And yet, Australia is virtually void of deciduous native trees and those that do shed their leaves, don’t do it in autumn and keep their best colours for new growth.
In Brisbane, even the imported deciduous trees don’t stick to the rules as it rarely gets cold enough in autumn for them to put on much of a show. So, like snow at Christmas, our geographically-misplaced-seasonal-imaginings (GMSI) can be blamed firmly on what we have watched on telly, read in books, received on greeting cards or experienced first-hand visiting countries north of the equator.
If you suffer from a bit of GMSI, its time you knew the facts! Australia has only one true temperate deciduous tree that changes colour and loses its leaves in response to cold, and it lives in the chilly highlands of Tasmania – the Deciduous Beech (Nothofagus gunnii). This is the only native tree that puts on a stunning autumn display before dropping all its leaves in anticipation of cold winter weather.
There is only a very small handful of deciduous and semi-deciduous native trees that occur in the sub-tropics that lose all or some of their leaves, but they do this in response to dry weather or flowering and not the cold. This typically means that most Australian deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter and spring when it is driest, not in autumn. These trees are often referred to as ‘drought-deciduous’.
To name a few in SEQ, we have Red Cedars (Toona ciliata), White Cedars (Melia azedarach) and the figs, White Fig (Ficus virens) and Strangler Fig (Ficus henneana).
Some trees can be partially or fully deciduous and may lose some or all of their leaves just prior to flowering. Flame Trees (Brachychiton acerifolius) and Silky Oaks (Grevillea robusta) are the best-known examples of this locally.
So, we Australians must rewrite the books and reprint the greeting cards and correct our GMSI and claim our true autumn. We must talk about our trees changing their outfits in response to the dry, not the cold. Let’s proudly talk of trees being dressed in red and gold flowers or beautiful new growth. Let’s fully embrace and promote the subtle and delicate beauty that is uniquely Australian.
Article by Sue Nolan
Land for Wildlife Officer
Brisbane City Council
Photos by Martin Bennett