Elaeocarpus reticulatus
Encyclopedia
Elaeocarpus reticulatus, the Blueberry Ash, is a large shrub or tree which can grow to a height of 15m. In NSW rainforest
s it can attain a height of 30 metres. Its most conspicuous features are white or pink cup-shaped flowers with fringed edges and round blue fruit
s. Strictly botanically, the fruits aren't actually real berries
but drupe
s. Blueberry Ash also has leaves which turn bright red as they get older.
This is a hardy plant, and grows natively in eastern Australia
under many conditions. It is descended from rainforest
-like environments where it still grows in southeastern Queensland
and eastern NSW but has shifted its range to include the drier climate of south-eastern Australia (its leaves have become harder for example). In New South Wales
it grows in moist areas such as gullies and around watercourses as well as in tall Eucalyptus
forests and sandy coastal scrub.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s it can attain a height of 30 metres. Its most conspicuous features are white or pink cup-shaped flowers with fringed edges and round blue fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s. Strictly botanically, the fruits aren't actually real berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
but drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
s. Blueberry Ash also has leaves which turn bright red as they get older.
This is a hardy plant, and grows natively in eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
under many conditions. It is descended from rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
-like environments where it still grows in southeastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and eastern NSW but has shifted its range to include the drier climate of south-eastern Australia (its leaves have become harder for example). In 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...
it grows in moist areas such as gullies and around watercourses as well as in tall Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
forests and sandy coastal scrub.