Australian native plants with fire-retardant properties
Many of our most beloved Australian native plants and trees are highly flammable, specifically designed by evolution to burn and regenerate after fire.
Fire-retardant plants are a different category entirely. They can delay ignition, resist sustained burning and reduce the intensity and speed of fire spread. This is not because they are fireproof (no plant is), but because their adaptations make them harder to ignite and sustain as fuel.
It is important to note that any plant poorly placed, maintained or allowed to accumulate dead material will provide little protection, fire-retardant or not.
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What actually makes a plant fire retardant
The key traits that reduce a plant's flammability are well established across fire research conducted in Australia and internationally.
1. High moisture content in leaves and stems
Water held in a plant absorbs heat and delays ignition. Plants that maintain high moisture content through dry periods, particularly those with succulent or semi-succulent foliage, consistently perform better in fire conditions than plants that dry out and become brittle.
2. Low volatile oil content
High oil content is why eucalypts are so dangerous in fires. Their leaves contain highly flammable oils that cause explosive burning behaviour. Natives with low oil content in their foliage behave very differently under fire conditions.
3. High salt content
Salt in a plant raises the ignition temperature of its material, acting as a chemical suppressant of the burning process. Plants with salt have to absorb much more heat before they catch fire.
4. Physical characteristics
Plants with dense, low-growing habits that leave little airspace; smooth rather than fibrous or shredding bark; minimal accumulation of dry leaf litter; and self-pruning habits that reduce dead material are fire-retardant characteristics. A plant that scores well on most of these traits is useful in a fire-mitigation planting.
Fire-retardant Australian native plants
No species on this list is fireproof. All plants will burn under sufficient heat, but these have documented fire-retardant properties.
Water gum (Tristaniopsis laurina)
Water gum is one of the most consistently recommended fire-retardant native trees for planting near buildings. Its smooth, non-shedding bark and dense, moisture-retentive foliage give it substantially lower flammability than most Australian trees of similar size. It does not produce the volatile oils, fibrous bark, or copious leaf litter that make eucalypts so dangerous.
It is naturally found along creek lines and in moist forest margins in eastern Australia. In a home garden, this means it benefits from regular watering during establishment. It is a beautiful, long-lived tree with year-round glossy leaves and clusters of yellow flowers in summer.
Saltbush (Atriplex and Rhagodia species)
The high salt content in saltbush foliage raises its ignition temperature significantly as salt acts as a flame retardant by requiring more heat energy to ignite. Combined with the high moisture content of the semi-succulent leaves, saltbush is hard to combust under all but the most extreme fire conditions.
Old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) grows into a substantial screening shrub with silver foliage that reflects both heat and light. Berry saltbush (Rhagodia spinescens) is a lower, more spreading species suited to garden use. Nodding saltbush (Einadia nutans) functions as a groundcover. Keep saltbush well maintained with loppers or secateurs to remove any dry or dead material.
Pigface (Carpobrotus and Disphyma species)
The thick succulent leaves contain a very high proportion of water, which means they absorb heat without igniting and slow the travel of a fire across the ground surface. A dense mat of pigface between an approaching fire can buy time by depriving the fire of fuel at ground level.
It also tolerates the same hot, dry, exposed conditions that create fire risk, which means it stays green and high in moisture through the summer months. Native Carpobrotus and Disphyma species are very reliable options. Keep plants trimmed and free of dead stems using hand pruners.
Mat rush (Lomandra longifolia and cultivars)
Lomandra's high moisture content, lack of volatile oils and the absence of accumulated dry litter around the base make it a useful groundcover layer in a fire-mitigation planting. It does not eliminate fire risk but it significantly slows the passage of fire at ground level.
Lomandra maintains moisture in its foliage longer than most plants in the same position and is genuinely drought tolerant once established, reducing the risk that it will be dry at the moment of highest fire danger. Divide clumps every four to five years using a garden knife to keep plants vigorous and maintain their moisture content. Remove any dry, brown material from the base of clumps in autumn.
No plant is fireproof
The value of a fire-retardant planting is measured in time: time to evacuate, time for a fire front to weaken, time for embers to be identified and dealt with. Plant selection must be combined with good garden design, regular maintenance and advice from your local fire authority. Always consult your state fire authority for specific guidance.
Coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa and cultivars)
Westringia's small, tough leaves contain relatively low levels of volatile oils compared to many other Australian shrubs and the plant maintains reasonable moisture through dry periods. It is dense enough to slow radiant heat and trap embers without providing a substantial fuel load, particularly if kept trimmed and free of dry material.
In a fire-mitigation planting it is most useful as a mid-layer shrub between the groundcover zone and any taller screening plants. It appears on the CFA's list of plants suitable for use near buildings and on the ACT Government's fire-retardant plant recommendations for the Canberra region.
Correa (Correa species)
Correa reflexa and Correa alba are both listed by the South Australian State Flora and other horticultural fire-risk references as low-flammability shrubs suited to fire-prone gardens. Correa's relatively high moisture content, dense growth habit and low volatile oil foliage make it more fire-retardant than most Australian shrubs of similar size.
It provides genuine screening value and wildlife habitat as honeyeaters depend heavily on correa flowers through autumn and winter. Light tip pruning after flowering with sharp secateurs keeps plants compact and reduces the accumulation of dry interior growth.
Flax lily (Dianella species)
Dianella species are listed across multiple fire authority sources as suitable groundcover and low-shrub layer plants for fire-risk zones. Like lomandra, dianella maintains moisture in its foliage without accumulating litter and its strappy leaves have low volatile oil content.
Under open canopy trees within an asset protection zone, dianella provides continuous coverage that reduces combustible leaf litter accumulation at ground level. A hand fork makes division straightforward and keeps plantings productive.
Lilly pilly (Syzygium and Acmena species)
Lilly pillies' large, glossy, moisture-retentive leaves maintain high water content and contain low volatile oil levels relative to most native trees. Their dense canopy structure can function as an effective radiant heat and ember barrier when positioned correctly. They do not shed bark, do not accumulate dry litter at a problematic rate and can be maintained at a controlled height with regular pruning.
Compact cultivars — 'Tiny Trev', 'Bush Christmas' and similar forms — are better suited to the controlled planting density that fire-wise garden design requires than larger species that can become difficult to maintain.
The native plants that are fire-adapted
The following are fire-adapted rather than fire-retardant. They are designed by evolution to burn and regenerate and they pose serious ignition risk.
| Plant | Risk near structures |
|---|---|
| Eucalypts (Eucalyptus and Corymbia species) | Highly volatile oils cause explosive burning. Shed burning bark and leaves that travel large distances as ember attack. |
| Banksias (Banksia species) | Accumulate substantial dry, flammable material in cones and foliage as part of normal growth. |
| Grass trees (Xanthorrhoea species) | Dense skirts of dry dead leaves are highly combustible and burn fiercely when ignited. |
| Most wattles (Acacia species) | Fine, dry foliage and accumulated litter create a high fuel load. Many species also contain oils that burn readily. |
| Fibrous-barked melaleucas (Melaleuca species with papery or stringy bark) | Papery and fibrous bark accumulates and sheds as highly flammable material. Smooth-barked melaleucas are lower risk. |
| Sweet pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum) | Recent research confirms it is highly flammable once dried and heated. |
Maintenance as a routine
Dead material, dry debris and unmanaged height all increase fuel load. The autumn-winter months before fire season are the most important time for maintenance: remove dead stems and leaves from all plantings, cut back any growth that has become woody and dry and clear accumulated litter.
Keep plants as well watered as practicable through summer. A terracotta olla buried beside key shrubs delivers slow, deep moisture to the root zone without surface evaporation, maintaining the leaf moisture content that underpins fire retardance.
Species selection is only one part of a fire-safe garden. How plants are placed, spaced and maintained around a property is equally important — and that is territory best navigated with the guidance of your state fire authority, who can assess your specific site, slope, fire risk zone and local conditions. The NSW Rural Fire Service, CFA (Victoria), DFES (WA) and their equivalents in each state and territory all publish detailed landscaping guidance for bushfire-prone areas. The plants listed here provide a solid starting point; your fire service provides the rest.
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A Guide to Australian Native Gardening
How to plan, plant and care for a thriving native garden, whatever your experience level.
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