Cupaniopsis anacardioides

Tuckeroo holds a dense, widely spreading crown of glossy pinnate leaves on a short, sturdy trunk. Greenish-yellow flowers in spring are followed through summer by showy orange capsules that split to reveal yellow-orange arils, which is when the birds arrive. It is a coastal Australian native with a reputation built on being almost impossible to kill.

In the landscape

Tuckeroo is one of the most dependable street and coastal trees in the country: a dense, widely spreading crown of glossy pinnate leaves on non-invasive roots, which is why it turns up so often in beachfront car parks, median strips and foreshore reserves. Set at 6–8 m centres it closes into a continuous shade canopy along an avenue, and it works equally well as a single lawn specimen or as a windbreak on an exposed boundary. It pairs naturally with Banksia integrifolia, Pandanus and coastal grasses.

Growing notes

Evergreen, and about as forgiving as a native tree gets, sandy, heavy clay, loamy, saline and acidic soils all suit it, provided drainage is reasonable. It is resistant to drought once established, resistant to light frost, and unbothered by salt-laden wind, tropical heat or urban pollution. Growth is moderate. In the ground it settles at roughly 8–12 m tall by 5–8 m wide with a rounded crown, and it performs right along the Queensland and New South Wales coast and through warmer parts of Victoria.

This tree

• Currently standing: 192 trees

Field-grown ex-ground at Donkin Farm, Utchee Creek, root-pruned and basket-lifted, delivered and craned Australia-wide, price on application through the Shortlist.