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Lilly Pilly

Syzygium smithii · Myrtaceae
15m
Mature height
0
Councils: no permit needed
0
Councils: exempt under a height limit
20
Councils: permit required
Lilly Pilly (Syzygium smithii) growing in Sydney
Lilly Pilly · typical mature form

Do you need a permit?

Lilly Pilly is a protected tree in effectively every council Pro Climbing Tree Services covers. Expect to need a tree permit, or a development application where the property is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.

How to identify it

A dense rounded tree or large shrub with glossy leaves and colourful flushes of pink or bronze new growth. Fluffy cream flowers followed by white, pink or mauve berries. Often clipped into hedges.

Where it grows in Sydney

Everywhere. The default screening and hedging plant across Sydney, from Inner West courtyards to Northern Beaches boundary hedges, plus natural occurrences in rainforest gullies.

Common problems

  • Psyllid damage causing pimpled distorted leaves
  • Berry drop staining paving and pools
  • Hedges planted on boundaries that outgrow the space
  • Often mistaken for exempt because it fruits

What removal involves

Usually a hedge job rather than a tree removal. Hedge rules matter more than tree rules here: North Sydney allows hedges under 5m freely but requires an AQF3 arborist above that, Hunters Hill exempts hedge trimming under 500mm cut with branches under 30mm, and Waverley allows 20% of height and width per 12 months. Georges River exempts hedge pruning and reshaping outright.

Council permit rules, council by council

Status below is for a tree on private land that has passed the council’s size threshold. Heritage items, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping and conditions of development consent override every exemption shown here.
Council
Status
What it means
Northern Beaches
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Ku-ring-gai
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hornsby Shire
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
The Hills Shire
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Blacktown City
Permit required
Council does not run a species exemption list. A permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold, and each tree is assessed on its own merits. Official rules
North Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Willoughby
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Lane Cove
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Ryde
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Hunters Hill
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
City of Sydney
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Inner West
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Woollahra
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Waverley
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Randwick
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Bayside
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Georges River
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Strathfield
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Burwood
Confirm with Council
Council holds its species exemptions in a document rather than on its website, so confirm this species with Council before treating removal as exempt. Size thresholds apply in the meantime. Official rules
Canterbury-Bankstown
Permit required
Not on Council's exempt species list, so a tree permit is required once the tree passes the size threshold. Official rules
Do I need approval to trim my Lilly Pilly hedge?

It depends on the council and the depth of the cut. Georges River exempts hedge pruning and reshaping, Waverley allows 20% of height and width per 12 months, and Hunters Hill exempts cuts under 500mm with branches under 30mm. Removal of the plants is a different question.

Is Lilly Pilly exempt as a fruit tree?

No. Hornsby and Georges River specifically exclude it from the edible fruit tree exemption.

Commonly confused with

Blueberry Ash
Both native, both berry bearing, and both are specifically excluded from the fruit tree exemption in Hornsby and Georges River

Related species

Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) growing in Sydney
Blueberry Ash
Elaeocarpus reticulatus
Water Gum (Tristaniopsis laurina) growing in Sydney
Water Gum
Tristaniopsis laurina
Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus) growing in Sydney
Brush Box
Lophostemon confertus
Bangalow Palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) growing in Sydney
Bangalow Palm
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Important note on council rules

This encyclopedia is a practical guide for Sydney property owners, not legal advice. Council tree rules change, and exemptions are frequently overridden by heritage listings, heritage conservation areas, significant tree registers, biodiversity mapping, endangered ecological communities and conditions attached to development consent. Always confirm the current rules with your council for your specific address before any tree work begins, or ask us to check it for you.
Photo by Akos Kokai via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Quick facts

Botanical name
Syzygium smithii
Also known as
Acmena smithii, Midgen Berry
Family
Myrtaceae
Origin
Native to eastern Australia
Mature height
5m to 15m
Canopy spread
4m to 8m
Growth rate
Moderate to fast
Foliage
Evergreen, glossy, pink to bronze new growth
Typical lifespan
100 years plus
Root habit
Fibrous, moderately spreading
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Need council approval? We handle the application.

Most councils will not accept a removal application without species identification, photographs and a stated reason. We prepare and lodge the lot, then carry out the work once it is approved. One call, one invoice, no forms to work out yourself.
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