Ochrosia elliptica

Last updated

Ochrosia elliptica
Ochrosia elliptica.jpg
An Ochrosia elliptica in the Bahamas
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Genus: Ochrosia
Species:
O. elliptica
Binomial name
Ochrosia elliptica

Ochrosia elliptica, known as elliptic yellowwood, bloodhorn or kopsia is a flowering tree native to north-eastern Australia, Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia.

Contents

The tree bears an inedible red colored fruit with a white sticky flesh. It has been introduced to Florida where it is considered invasive [2] and also to the Bahamas.

Ochrosia elliptica is an evergreen shrub or small tree usually growing 4–6 metres tall but sometimes reaching 12 metres. It has leathery dark green elliptic to obovate leaves up to 8–20cm long and 4–8cm wide.

The leaves occur in whorls of 3 or 4. The flowers occur in axilliary clusters and are small, yellow/white and fragrant. They are followed by pairs of striking red fruit 5–6 cm long by 2–3 cm in diameter, which resemble elongated tomatoes or a pair of red horns. The fruits are poisonous, and plants bleed white sap copiously when wounded. [3]

Uses

The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of beads. It is cultivated for its medicinal use in China. It is widely distributed as an ornamental, being valued for its startling bright red fruits and dense clusters of cream flowers that are produced throughout the year on an open spreading leafy canopy.

Its fruit and sap are highly poisonous. [4]

Other names

China: Gu cheng mei gui shu.

English: Berrywood tree, Bloodhorn, Elliptic yellowwood, Mangrove ochrosia, Wedge apple. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apocynaceae</span> Dogbane and oleander family of flowering plants

Apocynaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison Members of the family are native to the European, Asian, African, Australian, and American tropics or subtropics, with some temperate members. The former family Asclepiadaceae is considered a subfamily of Apocynaceae and contains 348 genera. A list of Apocynaceae genera may be found here.

<i>Aesculus pavia</i> Species of tree

Aesculus pavia, known as red buckeye or firecracker plant, is a species of deciduous flowering plant. The small tree or shrub is native to the southern and eastern parts of the United States, found from Illinois to Virginia in the north and from Texas to Florida in the south. It is hardy far to the north of its native range, with successful cultivation poleward to Arboretum Mustila in Finland.

<i>Morus alba</i> Species of plant

Morus alba, known as white mulberry, common mulberry and silkworm mulberry, is a fast-growing, small to medium-sized mulberry tree which grows to 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall. It is generally a short-lived tree with a lifespan comparable to that of humans, although there are some specimens known to be more than 250 years old. The species is native to China and India and is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere.

<i>Syzygium smithii</i> Species of tree

Syzygium smithii is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree, native to Australia and belonging to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "lilly pilly" with several other plants.It is planted as shrubs or hedgerows, and features: rough, woody bark; cream and green smooth, waxy leaves; flushes of pink new growth; and white to maroon edible berries. Unpruned, it will grow about 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft) tall in the garden.

<i>Lagerstroemia speciosa</i> Species of plant

Lagerstroemia speciosa is a species of Lagerstroemia native to tropical southern Asia. It is a deciduous tree with bright pink to light purple flowers.

<i>Spirostachys africana</i> Species of tree

Spirostachys africana is a medium-sized deciduous tree with a straight, clear trunk, occurring in the warmer parts of Southern Africa. Its wood is known as tamboti, tambotie, tambootie or tambuti.

<i>Codiaeum variegatum</i> Species of plant

Codiaeum variegatum is a species of plant in the genus Codiaeum, which is a member of the family Euphorbiaceae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, growing in open forests and scrub.

<i>Cerbera manghas</i> Species of plant

Cerbera manghas, the sea mango, is a small evergreen coastal tree growing up to 12 metres (39 ft) tall. It is native to coastal areas in Africa, Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific islands. It is classified as one of the three species in the genus Cerbera that constitute mangroves.

<i>Murraya paniculata</i> Species of plant

Murraya paniculata, commonly known as orange jasmine, orange jessamine, china box or mock orange, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia. It has smooth bark, pinnate leaves with up to seven egg-shaped to elliptical leaflets, fragrant white or cream-coloured flowers and oval, orange-red berries containing hairy seeds.

<i>Antidesma bunius</i> Species of tree

Antidesma bunius is a species of fruit tree in the family Phyllanthaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Its common Philippine name and other names include bignay, bugnay or bignai, Chinese-laurel, Queensland-cherry, salamander-tree, wild cherry, and currant tree.

<i>Sorbus decora</i> Species of tree

Sorbus decora, commonly known as the northern mountain ash, showy mountain-ash, or dogberry, is a deciduous shrub or very small tree native to northeastern North America. It occurs throughout the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, the New England-Acadian forest region, and the eastern Canadian boreal forests.

<i>Malus baccata</i> Asian species of apple

Malus baccata is an Asian species of apple known by the common names Siberian crab apple, Siberian crab, Manchurian crab apple and Chinese crab apple. It is native to many parts of Asia, but is also grown elsewhere as an ornamental tree and for rootstock. It is used for bonsai. It bears plentiful, fragrant, white flowers and edible red to yellow fruit of about 1 cm diameter.

<i>Bridelia exaltata</i> Species of tree

Bridelia exaltata, known as the brush ironbark or scrub ironbark, is a tree of eastern Australia. It occurs in and on the margins of the drier rainforests. Also occurring by streams, often in association with the Black Bean, up to an elevation of 600 metres above sea level. It occurs from Seal Rocks, New South Wales to Maryborough, Queensland.

<i>Ochrosia moorei</i> Species of tree

Ochrosia moorei, known as the southern ochrosia is a rainforest plant of eastern Australia. Endangered by extinction, it has a ROTAP rating of 2ECi.

<i>Pleioluma queenslandica</i> Species of tree

Pleioluma queenslandica, the blush condoo, is a large rainforest tree of the family Sapotaceae native to eastern Australia. It is found in sea side rainforest as well as the drier inland rainforests. From as far south as the Richmond River, New South Wales to Coen in tropical Queensland, and as far west as Melville Island, Northern Territory.

<i>Syzygium nervosum</i> Species of tree

Syzygium nervosum is a species of tree native to tropical Asia and Australia, extending as far north as Guangdong and Guangxi in China and as far south as the Northern Territory of Australia. It was previously known as Cleistocalyx operculatus and also known as C. nervosum(DC.) Kosterm., and Eugenia operculataRoxb., 1832. It is a medium-sized tree of about 10 meters in height with pale brown bark and dull green leaves.

<i>Urera trinervis</i> Species of flowering plant

Urera trinervis (Hochst.) Friis & Immelman is a softly woody dioecious liane, sometimes epiphytic, climbing to 20 m, often to the canopy and hanging in festoons. It is one of some 44 species of Urera belonging to the nettle family Urticaceae. It is known in English as the tree climbing-nettle or climbing nettle.

<i>Hakea elliptica</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteacea endemic to Western Australia

Hakea elliptica, commonly known as the oval-leaf hakea, is a shrub in the family Proteacea and is endemic to Western Australia. A fast growing adaptable species with ornamental wavy leaves, golden bronze new growth and an abundance of showy white flowers. A good wildlife habitat due to its dense form with foliage to ground level.

<i>Xerochlamys elliptica</i> Species of tree

Xerochlamys elliptica is a tree in the family Sarcolaenaceae. It is endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Zanthoxylum ovalifolium</i> Species of plant in the family Rutaceae

Zanthoxylum ovalifolium, commonly known as thorny yellowwood, oval-leaf yellow wood or little yellowwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. It is a shrub or tree usually with trifoliate leaves, white, male and female flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets and red, purple or brown follicles.

References

  1. "Ochrosia elliptica". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  2. "USDA Plants Database".
  3. "Ochrosia elliptica".
  4. "Ochrasia elliptica".
  5. "Ochrosia elliptica".