Elaeocarpus angustifolius
Encyclopedia
Elaeocarpus angustifolius is a species of flowering plant
in the Elaeocarpaceae
family, bearing bitter edible fruit. It is commonly known as Blue Marble Tree, and also as Blue Fig or Blue Quandong, although it is not closely related to fig
s and apart from both being Eudicots
hardly related at all to quandong
s. The junior synonym Elaeocarpus grandis, from a later description of the species by Ferdinand von Mueller
, is also frequently found.
It is found in New-Caledonia, Queensland, Australia, and New South Wales
.
The fruit of this species is round and blue, between 20 and 30 mm across, and has a seed with deep convolutions in its shell.
These are eaten whole by cassowaries
, Woompoo pigeon and Spectacled flying foxes, which pass the nut undamaged.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeaocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family approximately contains 605 species of trees and shrubs in 12 genera. The largest genera are Elaeocarpus, with about 350 species, and Sloanea, with about 150....
family, bearing bitter edible fruit. It is commonly known as Blue Marble Tree, and also as Blue Fig or Blue Quandong, although it is not closely related to fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s and apart from both being Eudicots
Eudicots
Eudicots and Eudicotyledons are botanical terms introduced by Doyle & Hotton to refer to a monophyletic group of flowering plants that had been called tricolpates or non-Magnoliid dicots by previous authors...
hardly related at all to quandong
Quandong
Quandong, quandang or quondong, is a common name for the species Santalum acuminatum , especially its edible fruit, but may also refer to* Aceratium concinnum...
s. The junior synonym Elaeocarpus grandis, from a later description of the species by Ferdinand von Mueller
Ferdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
, is also frequently found.
It is found in New-Caledonia, Queensland, Australia, and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
The fruit of this species is round and blue, between 20 and 30 mm across, and has a seed with deep convolutions in its shell.
These are eaten whole by cassowaries
Cassowary
The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia. There are three extant species recognized today...
, Woompoo pigeon and Spectacled flying foxes, which pass the nut undamaged.