Elaeocarpus reticulatus

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Blueberry ash
Elaeocarpus reticulatus flowers & fruit.JPG
Elaeocarpus reticulatus flowers and fruit
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Elaeocarpaceae
Genus: Elaeocarpus
Species:
E. reticulatus
Binomial name
Elaeocarpus reticulatus
Synonyms [1]
  • Elaeocarpus cyaneus Sims
  • Elaeocarpus cyaneus var. carneus Guilf. nom. inval., nom. nud.
  • Elaeocarpus cyaneusSims var. cyaneus
  • Elaeocarpus reticulatusSm. var. reticulatus
  • Elaeocarpus reticulatus var. typicus Domin nom. inval.
  • Perinka reticulata(Sm.) Raf.
Fruit Elaeocarpus reticulatus fruit 1.jpg
Fruit
Habit in Kanangra-Boyd National Park Elaeocarpus reticulatus.jpg
Habit in Kanangra-Boyd National Park
Pinkish flowers Blueberry Ash - Elaeocarpus reticulatus (8173789184).jpg
Pinkish flowers

Elaeocarpus reticulatus, commonly known as blueberry ash, ash quandong, blue olive berry, fairy petticoats, fringe tree, koda, lily of the valley tree and scrub ash, [2] is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with oblong to elliptic leaves, racemes of white or pink flowers and blue, oval to spherical fruit.

Contents

Description

Elaeocarpus reticulatus is a shrub or small tree that typically grows to a height of 3–10 m (9.8–32.8 ft), but up to 30 m (98 ft) in some situations, and has a lignotuber at its base. The leaves are simple, (strictly compound with only one leaflet), oblong to elliptic, mostly 50–130 mm (2.0–5.1 in) long and 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) wide on a petiole 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long. The leaves are more or less glabrous, often turn red before falling, have regular teeth along the edges, small domatia and a prominent network of veins on both surfaces. The flowers are arranged in racemes up to 50–80 mm (2.0–3.1 in) long, with between five and ten flowers, each on a pedicel 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long. The five sepals are narrow triangular 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long and about 1 mm (0.039 in) wide. The five petals are white, sometimes pinkish, 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long and about 2 mm (0.079 in) wide, the tip with between seven and ten linear lobes. There are between thirteen and fifteen stamens and the style is 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. Flowering occurs from October to January and the fruit is a more or less spherical, oval or elliptical blue drupe about 12 mm (0.47 in) long. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Taxonomy

Elaeocarpus reticulatus was first formally described in 1809 by James Edward Smith in Abraham Rees's The Cyclopaedia from specimens collected near Port Jackson by John White. [8] [9] The specific epithet (reticulatus) means "with the appearance of a net". [10]

Distribution and habitat

Blueberry ash often grows in tall eucalypt forest, in or near rainforest, often in moist gullies, but also found on stony ridges. It occurs along the east coast of Australia from Fraser Island in Queensland to Flinders Island in Tasmania. In New South Wales it is found from sea level to the ranges and in Victoria to the east of Wilsons Promontory where it is often locally common. [2] [3] [6] [7]

Ecology

The fruits of E. reticulatus are eaten by birds, including wonga pigeons, crimson rosellas, figbirds, white-headed pigeons and olive-backed orioles and the regent bowerbird collects them to decorate its bower. [11]

Use in horticulture

Blue berry ash is described as "an outstanding specimen tree for coastal gardens". Propagation of the plant can be achieved from semi-hardwood cuttings taken in warmer weather, but germination from seed can take several years. The shrub is hardy in most situations and can be grown in shade to full sun. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Elaeocarpus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Elaeocarpus is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and the Pacific. Plants in the genus Elaeocarpus are trees or shrubs with simple leaves, flowers with four or five petals usually, and usually blue fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus grandis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus grandis, commonly known as caloon, white quandong, blue quandong, silver quandong, blue fig or blueberry ash, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a large tree with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, oblong to elliptic leaves with small teeth on the edges, racemes of greenish-white flowers and more or less spherical blue fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus kirtonii</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus kirtonii, commonly known as silver quandong, white quandong, brown hearted quandong, brownheart, mountain beech, Mowbullan whitewood, pigeonberry ash, white beech or whitewood, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a large rainforest tree with buttress roots, regularly toothed, narrow elliptic to narrow oblong leaves, racemes of white flowers and pale blue, oval fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus sedentarius</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus sedentarius, commonly known as Minyon quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales. It is a medium-sized to large tree with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, racemes of whitish flowers and more or less spherical blue fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus holopetalus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus holopetalus, commonly known as black olive berry, mountain blueberry, or mountain quandong, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with regularly toothed, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves, racemes of white flowers and black, oval fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus obovatus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus obovatus, commonly known as hard quandong, blueberry ash, whitewood, grey carabeen, freckled oliveberry or gray carrobeen, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a tree with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, racemes of white flowers, and blue, oval fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus eumundi</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus eumundi, commonly known as Eumundi quandong, or smooth-leaved quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a mid-sized tree with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves, racemes of cream-coloured flowers and blue fruit. It grows in rainforest from the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to north-eastern New South Wales.

<i>Philotheca buxifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Philotheca buxifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to New South Wales. It is a shrub with more or less oblong leaves and solitary white to pink flowers arranged singly on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Elaeocarpus costatus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus costatus is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae that is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It is a tree with lance-shaped to elliptic leaves with wavy-toothed edges, flowers in groups of eight to ten, and blue fruit.

<i>Cryptandra amara</i> Species of flowering plant

Cryptandra amara, commonly known as bitter cryptandra or pretty pearlflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a densely-branched shrub with clustered, more or less linear to egg-shaped or elliptic leaves, and tube-shaped white flowers arranged on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Zieria cytisoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Zieria cytisoides, commonly known as the downy zieria, is a plant in the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a bushy shrub with three-part, clover-like leaves and small clusters of pale to deep pink flowers with four petals and four stamens.

<i>Daviesia mimosoides</i> Species of plant

Daviesia mimosoides, commonly known as blunt-leaf bitter-pea, narrow-leaf bitter pea or leafy bitter-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern continental Australia. It is an open shrub with tapering, linear, elliptic or egg-shaped phyllodes, and groups of orange-yellow and dark brownish-red to maroon flowers.

<i>Elaeocarpus culminicola</i> Species of tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus culminicola, commonly known as Michael's quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is native to parts of Malesia and Australasia. It is a tree with wavy leaves with wavy or toothed edges, racemes of white, cream-coloured or pink flowers and more or less spherical fruit.

Elaeocarpus arnhemicus, commonly known as elaeocarpus, blue plum, bony quandony or Arnhem Land quandong, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is native to northern Australia, New Guinea, Timor and certain other islands in the Indonesian Archipelago. It is a tree with narrow elliptic to lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves with serrated edges, racemes of white or cream-coloured flowers and metallic blue fruit.

Elaeocarpus elliffii, commonly known as mountain quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a tree, sometimes with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, narrow egg-shaped leaves often with large domatia, flowers with five white petals with lobed tips, and more or less spherical fruit.

Elaeocarpus hylobroma is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a small tree with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with a few serrations near the tip, racemes of white flowers and dull blue, oval fruit.

Elaeocarpus johnsonii, commonly known as Kuranda quandong or Johnson's quandong, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a small to medium-sized tree, often with several main stems, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, racemes of up to seven flowers, the petals with fringed lobes, and dark blue fruit.

Elaeocarpus linsmithii is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a shrub with oblong to elliptic leaves, white or pale green flowers and oval fruit.

Elaeocarpus miegei is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is native to New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands and the Tiwi Islands of the Northern Territory. It is a tall tree with lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, whitish to cream-coloured flowers and bright blue, elliptical fruit.

Elaeocarpus sericopetalus, commonly known as hard quandong, blueberry ash, hard duandong or northern quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a tree, sometimes with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, relatively large lenticels, oblong to elliptic leaves, creamy-white flowers with five petals, and deep red to almost black fruit.

References

  1. 1 2 "Elaeocarpus reticulatus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Elaeocarpus reticulatus". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 Jeanes, Jeff A. "Elaeocarpus reticulatus". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Wood, Betty. "Elaeocarpus reticulatus". Lucid Central. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Hyland, Bernard; Coode, Mark J. (1984). "Elaeocarpus in Australia and New Zealand". Kew Bulletin. 39 (3): 557–559.
  6. 1 2 Floyd, Alexander G. (1989). Rainforest trees of mainland South-eastern Australia. Melbourne: Inkata Press. p. 117. ISBN   0-909605-57-2.
  7. 1 2 Robinson, Les (1991). Field guide to the native plants of Sydney. Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press. p. 164. ISBN   0864171927.
  8. ↑ "Elaeocarpus reticulatus". APNI. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  9. ↑ Smith, James E.; Rees, Abraham (ed.) (1809). The Cyclopaedia. Vol. 12. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown. Retrieved 22 February 2021.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  10. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 293. ISBN   9780958034180.
  11. 1 2 Brown, Liz. "Elaeocarpus reticulatus". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  12. ↑ Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray (1983). Australian native plants : a manual for their propagation, cultivation and use in landscaping (2nd ed.). Sydney: Collins. p. 332. ISBN   0002165759.
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