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Homalanthus populifolius
Also called Queensland Poplar, Bleeding Heart, Native Bleeding Heart, Native Poplar, Queensland Popular
Homalanthus populifolius is a fast-growing Australian rainforest tree or shrub, up to about 8 m tall, valued as a pioneer species and for its red autumn-coloured leaves. It is grown as an ornamental and needs full sun and warmth.
Homalanthus populifolius, the bleeding heart, native poplar or Queensland poplar, is an Australian rainforest plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It often appears in areas of rainforest disturbance. Rainforest regenerators highly regard Bleeding heart because of its fast growth and use as a pioneer species in rainforest regeneration.
Bleeding heart grows from the coastal border of New South Wales and Victoria (36° S), north to Coen, Queensland (13° S) in the tropics. It is also native to Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, and has been widely planted elsewhere.
The small size and decorative red leaves make this an attractive garden plant. However, its characteristics as a pioneer species also make it a good invader in disturbed areas. It is considered an invasive species in southern Africa, Hawaii and New Zealand. The Sa'dan Toraja people crush the leaves with mud to create a black dye for funeral clothing
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Homalanthus populifolius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
