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Plant Selection Key

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Plant Selection key

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Your plant FIREWISE rating

0 Plant

Characteristics

1. How to use it

The Plant Selection Key helps you choose plants for a garden in a high bushfire risk area.

Answer questions to get:

an overall flammability rating
a firewise rating
maintenance advice
advice about whether the plant is appropriate for a garden in a high bushfire risk area.

2. Before you start

Make a list of plants you want to plant in your garden. Consider:

Local growing conditions
Council planning controls
What the plant will look like at maturity
Diseases, insects or pests common to the plant. This information can be found on plant websites, books or your local nursery
Characteristics that increase flammability in Section 5 of Landscaping for Bushfire - large file (PDF 1188k)

3. Work through the key

Answer questions about each plant to see if it's Firewise, Moderately Firewise, At-Risk Firewise or Not Firewise.

The more symbols
The more flammable a plant is.

FIREWISE

Low Flammability. Best plants for your garden.

MODERATELY FIREWISE

OR
Moderate flammability. Regular maintenance needed.

AT-RISK FIREWISE

OR MORE
High flammability. Avoid use.

NOT FIREWISE

Extreme Flammability. Don't Plant.

Begin Plant Selection Key >>

What type of plant is it?

Click on a plant image to select the type of plant you wish use in your garden.

Trees

Palms

Shrubs

Vines & climbers

Herbaceous plants

Ground
covers

Grasses, or grass-like
Trees
- Has single or multiple woody trunks and grow from 5-30 metres or over at maturity
- Single stem trees typically branch well above the ground, while multiple stemmed trees typically branch close to the ground
- Foliage is concentrated in the canopy allowing other vegetation to grow underneath
- Has highly variable leaf and bark types.
Palms
- Vary widely in height
- Generally have a single woody trunk topped by fronds
- Many species retain dead fronds which can be flammable.
- Australian palm-like plants include tree-ferns, screw-palms, cycads and grass-trees. They can grow several metres tall and also have a 'skirt' of dead fronds or leaves close to the ground. This is an important flammability characteristic as it can act as a ladder fuel.
Shrubs
- Are shorter and generally more compact than trees, typically 3-4 metres in height with branching close to the ground
- Have dense, bushy foliage and woody stems
- Because of this structure, shrubs can carry fire from the ground to the tree canopy.
Vines & climbers
- Have soft or woody stems and are climbing or scrambling plants. Often grown over fences, pergolas or trellises and can grow over other plants
- Can be deciduous or evergreen and some accumulate large amounts of dead leaves
- Can act as ladder fuel and carry flames up into shrubs, trees or supporting structures
- Examples include grapes, Virginia Creeper, Coral-pea, Running Postman or Happy Wanderer.
NOT FIREWISE

These plants should not be planted in a garden or used when landscaping for bushfire.
- Vines are extremely flammable as they typically add fuel directly to a structure. As such, they act as ladder fuels bridging gaps between surface fuels and canopy fuels
- See Section 3: Rules for vegetation clearance around existing houses - large file (PDF 646k) or Section 5: Choosing suitable plants - large file (PDF 1188k) or Landscaping for bushfire (complete version) (DOC 179k)
Herbaceous plants
- Have soft and fleshy leaves with non-woody stems
- Are low-growing, often less than 50cm tall
- Include most smaller flowering plants grown in gardens. Can look 'shrubby', form clumps or grow as groundcovers
- Moisture content is usually higher than most woody shrubs. Often droop when dry.
- Examples include violets and pansies.
Grouncovers
- Are woody or herbaceous. Woody groundcovers spread without climbing
- Are generally less than 50cm tall.
Grasses, or grass-like
- Leaves are usually long, fine or strappy
- Vary from a few centimetres to over 2 metres tall. Clump size can be up to 1 m in diameter
- Most grasses grown in gardens are perennial rather than annual Many of these form clumps called tussocks. Examples include Wallaby Grass and Canary Grass
- Perennial tussock grasses accumulate dead material mixed with the living leaves and are quite flammable, although they usually only burn for a short time
- Other grasses grow as a continuous mat such as lawn grasses
- Leaves of grass-like plants are often coarse and thick and may accumulate dead leaves in the living clump. Examples include Mat-rush, New Zealand Flax, Iris and Gladioli.
What type of tree is it?

Click on the image for a description.

Eucalypts

Conifer or conifer-like

Other tree types
Eucalypts
- Can have woolly fibrous bark (stringy bark), deeply corrugated and dense bark (iron bark), 'chippy' or platy bark (box bark) or smooth (gum bark)
- All flower and have leaves that hang vertically
- Their bark can be extremely flammable
- Examples include trees from the genera Eucalyptus, Corymbia (includes Flowering Gums) and Angophora (includes Smooth Barked Apple and Dwarf Apple that are similar in appearance to smooth barked gums).
Conifer or conifer-like
- Develop woody cones and have needle-like or scale-like leaves
- Examples include pines, hemlocks, spruces, junipers, cedars, cypress
- Native Australian examples include Cypress Pine, Cherry Ballart and she-oaks.
Other tree types
- This category contains all trees that are not eucalypts, conifers or conifer-like
- Leaf type can vary widely. For example:
- The small leaves and phyllodes (leaf like structures) of wattles such as Blackwood, Silver Wattle and Austral Mulberry:
  
  the medium-sized leaves of Lilly-pilly and Southern Sassafras
  
  the deeply lobed leaves of Silky Oak
  
  the wider, broad leaves of Kurrajong and non-native species such as maples, oaks and elms.
What type of bark does the tree have?

Click on the image for a description.

Stringybark eucalypt with coarse, loose fibrous bark

Sheds large ribbons or sheets of bark annually

Does not have stringybark or ribbons of bark
Stringybark eucalypt with coarse, loose fibrous bark
- Examples include Messmate and Red Stringy Bark.
NOT FIREWISE

These plants should not be planted in a garden or used when landscaping for bushfire.
- Trees with this type of bark are extremely flammable
- This type of bark acts as a ladder carrying fire into the canopy of the tree and produces masses of embers
- See Section 3: Rules for vegetation clearance around existing houses - large file (PDF 646k) or Section 5: Choosing suitable plants - large file (PDF 1188k) or Landscaping for bushfire (complete version) - (DOC 179k)
Sheds large ribbons or sheets of bark annually
- Strips or ribbons of bark are caught and held in the tree
- Examples include many smooth or gum barked eucalypts such as Manna Gum and Mountain Grey Gum.
LESS FIREWISE
- Pine needles need to be periodically removed from roofs, other plants and the ground near structures
- Eucalypt bark and foliage should also be routinely removed from the tree and the ground.
Does not have stringybark or ribbons of bark
- Examples include ironbark, some gum-bark species, box bark and peppermint-bark eucalypts.
What is the height of the lowest branch?

Click on the image for a description.

Low

Good separation
Low
- Branches are less than 2 metres above the ground.
LESS FIREWISE
- Trees must be under-pruned up to 2 metres if possible and dead branches and fronds removed to ensure a more firewise characteristic.
Good separation
- At least 2 metres between ground and branches.
Does it shed large amounts of leaves or needles

Click on the image for a description.

Yes

No
Yes
- The conifer sheds large amounts of leaves or needles. For example, Monterey Pine.
LESS FIREWISE
- Pine needles need to be periodically removed from roofs, other plants and the ground near structures
- Eucalypt bark and foliage should also be routinely removed from the tree and the ground.
No
- The conifer or conifer-like tree does not shed large quantities of leaves or needles. Examples may include native Cypress Pine, she-oak and Cherry Ballart.
What is the height of the lowest branch or frond?

Click on the image for a description.

Low

Good separation
Low
- Branches or fronds are less than 2 metres above the ground.
LESS FIREWISE
- Trees must be under-pruned to a height of 2 metres if possible and dead branches and fronds removed to ensure firewise characteristic.
Good separation
- At least 2 metres between ground and branches or fronds.
Does it have papery or loose bark?

Click on the image for a description.

Yes

No
Yes
- Trunk has papery bark or loose fibrous bark. For example tea-trees and most paperbarks.
LESS FIREWISE
- Papery bark and fibres may act as ladder fuels
- Requires appropriate placement in your garden.
No
- Trunk does not have papery bark or loose fibrous bark.
What is the plant's texture?

Click on the image for a description.

Fine texture

Medium texture

Coarse texture
Fine texture
- Texture is used to describe the overall appearance of the plant from a distance
- From a distance of about 3 metres it is not easy to distinguish individual leaves or branches on plants with a fine texture
- Examples include diosma and some paperbarks with thin, narrow leaves. The fineness of foliage (the surface area to volume ratio) is a very important determinant of flammability.
LESS FIREWISE
- Plants with a fine texture have a higher surface area to volume ratio and tend to dry out more readily than medium and coarse textured plants. This makes them generally makes them generally more flammable
- Require appropriate placement and routine pruning.
Medium texture
- This category includes many azalea and holly species as well as the natives Sarsaparilla and Hairpin Banksia.
Coarse texture
- It is easy to distinguish each individual leaf or branch from a distance of about 3 metres
- Examples include hydrangea, cotoneaster, hazel poma derris and blanket leaf.
How dense is the plant?

Click on the image for a description.

Very dense

Moderately dense

Sparsely dense
Very dense
- So dense that it is very difficult to place a hand in the plant and touch the main stem. These plants have dense branches
- Examples include shrubby grevilleas and junipers.
LESS FIREWISE
- Dense plants have a larger amount of fuel packed closely together which encourages the spread of flames within the plant
- Require appropriate placement and routine pruning.
Moderately dense
- Sufficiently dense to not be able to see through the plant but reasonably easy to place a hand into the plant and touch the main stem
- Examples include some lavenders, rosemary and some correas.
Sparsely dense
- May have open branching patterns making it easy to see through the plant
- Examples include many wattles, rhododendrons and some hydrangeas.
Is it a grass greater than 30cm tall?

Click on the image for a description.

Yes

No
Yes
- Grass is greater than 30 cm tall (for example grass in the Family Poaceae or Gramineae).
NOT FIREWISE

These plants should not be planted in a garden or used when landscaping for bushfire.
- Regardless of how many LESS FIREWISE results you may get, tall grasses, herbaceous plants and groundcovers greater than 30 cm tall are extremely flammable because they readily dry out and rapidly carry fire
- See Section 3: Rules for vegetation clearance around existing houses - large file (PDF 646k) or Section 5: Choosing suitable plants - large file (PDF 1188k) or Landscaping for bushfire (complete version) - (DOC 179k)
No
- Short grasses all other herbaceous plants or grass-like plants.
Does the plant retain dead leaves or twigs?

Click on the image for a description.

Yes

No
Yes
- Plant retains dead leaves or twigs mixed with the living leaves
- Retention of dead leaves or twigs increases the flammability of a plant. Fine fuels readily dry out and increase the fuel available within the plant for fire.
NOT FIREWISE

These plants should not be planted in a garden or used when landscaping for bushfire.
- Regardless of how many LESS FIREWISE results you receive for this plant, plants that retain dead foliage throughout the year are extremely flammable
- Dead foliage has very low leaf moisture content and is therefore highly susceptible to ignition
- See Section 3: Rules for vegetation clearance around existing houses - large file (PDF 646k) or Section 5: Choosing suitable plants - large file (PDF 1188k) or Landscaping for bushfire (complete version) - (DOC 179k)
- Plant does not usually retain dead leaves or twigs, except when shedding leaves.
Are the leaves waxy or oily?

Click on the image for a description.

Yes

No
Yes
- Leaves have a waxy coating, or numerous oil glands dotted on the leaves
- The leaves of plants containing significant amounts of oils and waxes will often have a strong scent when crushed. The presence of these chemicals often contributes to plant flammability.
- Plants with waxy leaves are often grey, silver or whitish and the waxy 'bloom' can be scraped off the leaf with your fingernail. For example, Wax Myrtle and gallberry
- Leaves do not have a waxy coating or numerous oil glands.
LESS FIREWISE
- Plants with large amounts of oils and waxes are more flammable than those without these chemicals
- Require appropriate placement and routine pruning.
No
- Leaves do not have a waxy coating or numerous oil glands.
Is the species seriously susceptible to disease, insects or pests?

Click on the image for a description.

Yes

No
Yes
- Species is known to be seriously susceptible to disease or insect pests.
- Plants seriously susceptible to disease are likely to become stressed and have less vigorous growth.
- When this happens, there is a lower foliage moisture content and a greater number of dead leaves are retained. This in turn makes the plant more flammable. For example, elm trees.
LESS FIREWISE
- Routine monitoring and appropriate treatment for the disease or pest is recommended.
No
- Species is not known to be particularly susceptible to disease or insect pests.
Is the plant deciduous or evergreen?

Click on the image for a description.

Deciduous

Evergreen
Deciduous
- Plants drop all leaves once a year and the new leaves usually have higher moisture content than evergreen plants.
Evergreen
- Plants retain leaves for several years.
Are the leaves soft, thick or fleshy?

Click on the image for a description.

Yes

No
Yes
- Plant leaves are soft, thick, succulent, or fleshy
- These types of leaves often have a higher moisture content than hard, thin and needle-like leaves, making them less flammable
- Moisture can often be seen on the exposed edge of torn leaves. Examples include cactus, agave, some myoporums such as Creeping Myoporum, Many Lilies, some saltbush species and geraniums
No
- Plant leaves are not obviously succulent; they may have various shapes and thickness.
LESS FIREWISE
- Require appropriate placement and routine pruning.

Remember

There are no 'fireproof' plants and all plants will burn in extreme fire-weather conditions
The moisture content of leaves is a major factor affecting how easily a plant will burn
The location and arrangement of plants has a significant effect on reducing bushfire risk in your garden
During summer as soil dries out, the moisture content of plants will decrease and their flammability will increase

Downloads

Acknowlegements

This Plant Selection Key is based on Behm AL, Long AJ, Monroe MC, Randall CK, Zipperer WC, Hermansen_Baez LA (2004) Fire in the Wildland-Urban Interface: Preparing a Firewise Plant List for WUI Residents. Circular 1453, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.

Address: USDA Forest Service, InterfaceSouth, Centers for Urban and InterfaceForestry, Bldg 164, Mowry Rd, PO Box 110806, Gainesville, FL 32611-0806. Ph: (352) 376-3271, Fax: (352) 376-4536, email: ahermansen@fs.fed.us

Disclaimer

The Plant Selection Key has been customised to better suit Australian conditions and is intended to provide an indication of plant flammability. The flammability of plants is highly variable and in periods of drought or in the path of an oncoming bushfire, plants will dry out and become highly flammable. If there is uncertainty about the results this key produces, seek professional advice from a plant specialist.

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