Syzygium crebrinerve is a fairly common Australian tree, growing from near Taree, New South Wales

Taree, New South Wales

Taree is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of around 20,000 people and is the centre of a significant agricultural district. It is 16 km from the sea coast,...

 (31 ° S) to Calliope

Calliope

In Greek mythology, Calliope was the muse of epic poetry, daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, and is now best known as Homer's muse, the inspiration for the Odyssey and the Iliad....

 in 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...

 (24 ° S). Common names include Purple Cherry, Rose Satinash, and Black Water Gum. The habitat of Syzygium crebrinerve is sub tropical rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 on basaltic or fertile alluvial soils.

Description

Syzygium crebrinerve is a medium to tall tree, occasionally reaching 45 metres in height and a metre in trunk diameter. The tree's crown appears dark and full, though new growth is bright red.

The bark is a grey/fawn colour, with numerous depressions caused by the shedding of scales of bark. New live bark is a purplish brown colour. Large Syzygium crebrinerve are significantly buttressed at the base.

Leaves, Flowers and Fruit

The leaves are opposite, simple, and entire, up to 11 cm long. Margins are narrowed at each end and drawn out into a point. Young leaves are bright red. Oil dots of various sizes, the largest visible to the naked eye. Leaf stalks are 6 mm long.

Flowers are white, appearing in November and December, in panicles at the ends of branchlets.

The fruit matures from January to April, being a flattened berry

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....

, a common shape of many Syzygium

Syzygium

Syzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific...

. Colours range from pink to purple. The flesh is unpalatable, being dry and tasteless.

Seed germination is slow, erratic and unreliable. Fruit is prone to insect attack. Soaking of the seeds is recommended to drown insect larvae. Germination results can range from 27% to 100%. Fruit are eaten by many rainforest birds, including the Topknot Pigeon

Topknot Pigeon

The Topknot Pigeon is a pigeon native to Australia. It is also known by the name of "Flock Pigeon".-Description:...

.