11. I live in a bushfire prone area....are there any Australian native plants that are fire-retardant?

All native and exotic plants will burn but some are more difficult to ignite than others and will, hopefully, slow down the advance of a fire. There are, however, a range of plants which present a greater risk.

There is not a lot of published data on fire retardant plants but, generally, plants whose leaves have a high moisture content (e.g. rainforest plants) or a high salt content (e.g. saltbushes) are usually fire-retardant. Plants which burn vigorously include those with a high content of volatile oil in their trunks, branches or leaves (e.g. melaleucas, bottlebrushes, tea-trees, boronias, mint bushes and eucalypts).

The following references provide further information:

• Australian Plants for Fire Prone Areas
• The Ingnitability of Leaves of Australian Plants
• Fires, gardens and fire retardant plants - a bibliography - compiled by the National Botanic Gardens, Canberra