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Leucopogon parviflorus

coastal beard-heath

Ericaceae

Coastal southern and eastern Australia, New Zealand

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant Fragrant (moderate)

SunFull Sun

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

Overview

Leucopogon parviflorus is an erect, bushy evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 1-5 m (3-16 ft) tall, with a dense crown of stiff, crowded foliage. The small leaves are narrow-elliptic to oblong, 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) long, leathery, grey-green, and tipped with a sharp point. From late winter into spring the branch tips carry many small white tubular flowers about 3-4 mm (0.15 in) long, each with five petal lobes bearded inside with white hairs and held in short crowded spikes. The flowers are sweetly scented and followed by rounded white to greenish drupes 3-5 mm (0.2 in) wide that are edible and faintly sweet, eaten by birds and historically by Aboriginal people. The species grows on coastal dunes, headlands, and clifftops in sandy and limestone soils, where its dense habit withstands salt-laden wind. It is wind- and salt-tolerant and long-lived but slow-growing, and it resents heavy, poorly drained soils. As a heath-family plant with slender roots adapted to low-nutrient sandy ground, it is sensitive to phosphorus and hard to establish in rich garden soils.

Native Range

Native to southern and eastern coastal Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia, as well as New Zealand. It is largely restricted to coastal dunes, headlands, and cliff scrub.

Suggested Uses

Used in coastal gardens for windbreaks, informal hedging, and dune stabilisation, and in revegetation of sandy seaside sites. Its edible berries and dense cover support birds and small wildlife.

How to Identify

A dense coastal shrub with small, stiff, grey-green pointed leaves crowded along the stems and short spikes of tiny white tubular flowers bearded with hairs inside. Small white edible berries follow the flowers. The sweet scent of the flowers and the seaside setting help separate it from related heaths.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 16'

Width/Spread3' - 10'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~12 weeks

Winter Spring

Flowers from late winter through spring, mainly August to November, with crowded spikes of small white flowers that are sweetly fragrant. White berries ripen in late spring and summer and may persist on the plant.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

Grey-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 8.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand rocky chalk

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun on free-draining sandy or limestone soils and tolerates salt spray, coastal wind, and drought once established. It is slow to establish and dislikes rich or phosphorus-heavy soils, growing in lean, gritty ground with little added fertiliser. Young plants need watering until established, then only in extended drought. It needs sharp drainage and will decline in wet, heavy clay. Light trimming after flowering maintains a dense shape.

Pruning

Tolerates light pruning to shape, trimmed lightly after flowering. It can be slow to reshoot from bare old wood, so hard pruning into leafless stems is avoided. Tip-pruning of young plants encourages density.

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic

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Leucopogon parviflorus

coastal beard-heath

Ericaceae

Coastal southern and eastern Australia, New Zealand

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant Fragrant (moderate)

SunFull Sun

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

Overview

Native Range

Suggested Uses

Used in coastal gardens for windbreaks, informal hedging, and dune stabilisation, and in revegetation of sandy seaside sites. Its edible berries and dense cover support birds and small wildlife.