Author Topic: Mystery Tree (Read 11951 times)

fruitlovers · « **on:** July 07, 2012, 03:51:14 AM »

Anybody know what this is? Probably not a fruit tree. Might be a lumber tree? Located in our arboretum.

carraig · « **Reply #1 on:** July 07, 2012, 04:10:55 AM »

Picture?

fruitlovers · « **Reply #2 on:** July 07, 2012, 04:21:24 AM »

Sorry postimage is not working. This is second time it's done this. Will post from my website:

Mike T · « **Reply #3 on:** July 07, 2012, 05:29:07 AM »

Everyone says Australia has great beeches.There is a passing resemblance to gmelina....australian white beech.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #4 on:** July 07, 2012, 06:09:48 AM »

Thanks Mike, i think that is probably correct ID.

HMHausman · « **Reply #5 on:** July 07, 2012, 07:33:41 AM »

Interesting looking tree. The fruit looks like it might be worth a taste. Is it edible? I see googling it that some birds do eat the berries.

Harry

Mike T · « **Reply #6 on:** July 07, 2012, 07:38:54 AM »

No Harry there are many native brightly colored fruits around here that are edible but not really palatable.Birds and other wildlife consume them with relish.

HMHausman · « **Reply #7 on:** July 07, 2012, 07:41:16 AM »

Thanks, Mike. So this is one of those edible but not eatable fruits. Pretty....nonetheless.

Harry

Soren · « **Reply #8 on:** July 07, 2012, 09:04:38 AM »

If eatable at all - several fruits contains toxins which effects mammals but not birds. The neon-coloration of the fruits remind me of another Aussie species namely Syzygium smithii though I doubt any of them gets that purple in color (or for that matter anywhere this big).

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 07, 2012, 09:11:01 AM »

Hi Oscar,

Thanks for sharing

Those fruits have such an awesome colour...this tree can be introduced as an ornamental to ''light up'' gardens

I would plant one

fruitlovers · « **Reply #10 on:** July 07, 2012, 05:59:42 PM »

If you want bright blueish color fruit that's edible you can try blue marble, also called rudraksha, Elaeocarpus ganitrus. Beautifut tree but gets giant sized, very tall. I think in Australia they have blue quandong which is another species of Elaeocarpus which is better tasting, and there are other species as well.

Mike T · « **Reply #11 on:** July 07, 2012, 06:29:23 PM »

There are loads of blue edible fruited species in the genus with marble to golf ball sized fruit.

Blue is a very common colour for tropical fruits and when I pick up a selection of wild fruits in thje rainforest there is a riot of blues,pinks,reds,purples etc.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #12 on:** July 07, 2012, 07:00:45 PM »

Mike, what are the blue fruits in your hand? Blue might be common color for fruits there, but not here.

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 07, 2012, 07:06:41 PM »

Really cool looking fruit. What do those fruit taste like Mike? Might have to go on the hunt for both of the fruit in your pics.

Mike T · « **Reply #14 on:** July 07, 2012, 07:33:24 PM »

E.angustifolius is alright to eat if you enjoy raking your teeth over a pebbly stone for a veneer of prune flavored flesh.There are many Cerbera species around even in hawaii but cassowaries have a soft spot for blue ones but humans should not try them.If someone said to me they are overwrought with the desire to race into the jungle and consume blue colored fruit this is how I would advise them.

Don't be tempted.

Not by edible alpinia caerulea

or by blue nuns

or by any quandongs go deeper find athertonia diversifolia a macadamia relative with a magnificent nut.It is rare.

Now why is it not cultivated?

Mike T · « **Reply #15 on:** July 07, 2012, 08:55:33 PM »

All the pix of blue fruit I posted seem to have dropped out but were there briefly.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #16 on:** July 08, 2012, 03:15:16 AM »

Have you eaten Athertonia diversifolia? How are they? I have some plants growing thanks to one of your countrymen.

Mike T · « **Reply #17 on:** July 08, 2012, 03:52:24 AM »

Yes Oscar but not for many years and my memory of the taste is a bit hazy only that they were good and hard to crack.I found them beneath 120ft rainforest giants on the atherton tablelands a few times.

BMc · « **Reply #18 on:** July 08, 2012, 06:14:58 AM »

There are a few native syzygium that have blue fruits. Oleosum has a blue/purple form that is alright. There is a bright purple one down the road that is very nice. Orophila is a subsp of helilamphra that can be purple. Fraserii can be quite purple. Cryptophlebium. Aryropedicum looks like a big blueberry. My favourite for looks is definately papyrecium - beautiful papery barked tree, pretty pink flowers and amazing shiny purple fruit:

Eleocarpus grandis and E. eumundii are grown as street trees and as feature trees in city buildings here. Beautiful trees with a near perfect form, but the fruits are not really worth the effort, with most being more like 1mil cardboard over a super hard seed.

Mike T · « **Reply #19 on:** July 08, 2012, 06:45:17 AM »

BMc S.papyraceum I see in the mountains can be well over 40m giants and fruit are deep purple.There are so many brilliantly colored fruits I used to get collections of 40 to 80 species and arrange them for pictures.E.angustifolius seems to be brighter blue and a bit better to eat than its congenors with some almost bordering on being ordinary to eat if you get them at the right stage.

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 09, 2012, 01:46:12 PM »

I found a source for seeds of Athertonia diversifolia. $17 shipped. Not sure how many come in a pack. Anyone know if they are tough to germinate?

BMc · « **Reply #21 on:** July 09, 2012, 06:47:51 PM »

Quote from: Mike T on July 08, 2012, 06:45:17 AM

BMc S.papyraceum I see in the mountains can be well over 40m giants and fruit are deep purple.There are so many brilliantly colored fruits I used to get collections of 40 to 80 species and arrange them for pictures.E.angustifolius seems to be brighter blue and a bit better to eat than its congenors with some almost bordering on being ordinary to eat if you get them at the right stage.

I eat quite a few of the various hybrids used for hedging. Some I consider better than wax jambu. I had a bunch of nice plump ones at the weekend at the garden expo in nambour. One was very good. There is no consistency in the quality of the fruit though - some are sweet, some taste of onion. One wild one I did get the chance to try was S. pseudofastigiatum - quite nice and I've now given one a spot in the rainforest patch on the farm. I've also heard stories of a nice lady apple cross in the Townsville JCU grounds. Thats one I'd like to find and get seeds of.

JSV, cant help you with germination of atherton oak. They are easily sourced as 1.5m tall plants here, so no need to grow from seed. Here's the RFC fact sheet:
http://rfcarchives.org.au/Next/Fruits/AusNative/AthertonNut110-1-99.htm

fruitlovers · « **Reply #22 on:** July 09, 2012, 07:27:30 PM »

Quote from: Jsvand5 on July 09, 2012, 01:46:12 PM

I found a source for seeds of Athertonia diversifolia. $17 shipped. Not sure how many come in a pack. Anyone know if they are tough to germinate?

As i recall most of the seeds i got germinated, but they took some time.

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 09, 2012, 07:54:08 PM »

Quote from: fruitlovers on July 09, 2012, 07:27:30 PM

Quote from: Jsvand5 on July 09, 2012, 01:46:12 PM
I found a source for seeds of Athertonia diversifolia. $17 shipped. Not sure how many come in a pack. Anyone know if they are tough to germinate?

As i recall most of the seeds i got germinated, but they took some time.

Did you file down the shell at all or just plant them as is.

Mike T · « **Reply #24 on:** July 09, 2012, 08:03:03 PM »

This is a S.papyraceum tree at 4000ft at Mt Lewis where there are similar sized Atherton Oaks both well over 120ft.They would never grow this large in cultivation but should withstand temps around the mid to upper 20'sf.Atherton oaks vary alot in nut size and appearently flavor between mountain ranges and even soil types in the wild.

BMc · « **Reply #25 on:** July 09, 2012, 08:15:59 PM »

Hehe, Yuruga has them being small trees around 4m tall

This one can take the spot of a rubber tree in the rainforest patch.

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #26 on:** July 09, 2012, 09:00:05 PM »

Pretty impressive tree. If enough of my Atherton Oak seeds sprout I may try one in the ground at my parents house.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #27 on:** July 10, 2012, 01:16:16 AM »

Quote from: Jsvand5 on July 09, 2012, 07:54:08 PM

Quote from: fruitlovers on July 09, 2012, 07:27:30 PM
Quote from: Jsvand5 on July 09, 2012, 01:46:12 PM
I found a source for seeds of Athertonia diversifolia. $17 shipped. Not sure how many come in a pack. Anyone know if they are tough to germinate?

As i recall most of the seeds i got germinated, but they took some time.

Did you file down the shell at all or just plant them as is.

I didn't nick them and they germinated fine, but took long time. So you probably would speed up germination by nicking them.

Mike T · « **Reply #28 on:** July 10, 2012, 06:23:26 AM »

Lots of trees that are rainforest giants never get big outside of that environment.I think they are slow to germinate and I would not crack Athertonia seeds first.

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Author Topic: Mystery Tree (Read 11951 times)