Author Topic: Fruit ID - possible Australian native  (Read 1243 times)

fruit nerd

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Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« on: January 30, 2023, 07:52:38 PM »
Location: Near Mossman, Far North Queensland
Tree size: Large rainforest tree
Fruit description: 2-3 cm in diameter, dark skin with pink flesh





pagnr

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2023, 02:48:40 AM »
What is the foliage it is resting on ? Is that the plant it came off ?

fruit nerd

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2023, 03:00:54 AM »
The fruit was found on the ground and is resting on freshly mowed grass. The foliage in the second photo belongs to the fruit tree in question I believe. The fruit is high in the canopy so cannot be picked.

SaltwaterTx

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2023, 01:41:56 PM »
Looks like something I’d like to grow if you get your hands on some seeds!

pagnr

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2023, 01:47:07 PM »
Any other info, one seed or multiple seeds, solid flesh or hollow fruit ?

fruit nerd

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2023, 08:51:20 PM »
The fruit has a single seed. The ratio of flesh to seed is decent. The seed on the photo below was found on the ground.



elouicious

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2023, 11:47:33 PM »
did you eat it?

did you get any pics of flowers?

Did you notice any animals eating it?

fruit nerd

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2023, 12:20:24 AM »
I suspect it is some syzygium species. I have not eaten it, though I suspect it is edible. Now you mention it, I believe the flowers are bright purple, quite beautiful. Will try to dig up a photo. I did see a dove up there yesterday.

fruit nerd

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2023, 02:20:48 AM »
Photo of flowers from a branch that I believe snapped off the tree in November. Quite beautiful flowers I think.


tru

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2023, 02:51:57 AM »
edit: i don't know what I'm talking about lol but does this look like a lilly pilly? I've never seen one in person
edit2: disregard ... didn't realize lilly pillies are syzygium

been looking for a bit and I see lots of things that look close to lilly pilly but haven't matched the fruit to the flower yet bc these have purple flowers but google shows white
« Last Edit: February 01, 2023, 03:04:10 AM by tru »
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tru

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2023, 03:11:40 AM »
haha.
I asked ChatGPT, this is what they had to say about it. Something tells me they left more than a couple off the list  :) but a couple years from now who knows how crazy this stuff will get

Quote
Here is a list of Syzygium species in Australia that have purple flowers and round dark purple skin:

Syzygium paniculatum (Magenta Lilly Pilly)
Syzygium australe (Brush Cherry)
Syzygium luehmannii (Small-leaved Lilly Pilly)
Note that this list may not be exhaustive, as new species or subspecies may be discovered and taxonomy may change over time.

btw I tried to push it harder and be EXTRA specific .. they had quite the response

Quote
I'm sorry, but the specific criteria provided are not sufficient to determine a single Syzygium species. While some Syzygium species are found in Far North Queensland, it is not always possible to identify a species based solely on its fruit characteristics, as fruit characteristics can vary within a species. Additionally, there is not enough information to determine which species have purple flowers, and even if that information were available, it is not uncommon for the fruit characteristics to be different from the flower characteristics. I recommend consulting a botanist or a local expert for a more accurate identification of the species in question.
« Last Edit: February 01, 2023, 03:16:19 AM by tru »
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fruit nerd

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2023, 03:48:44 AM »
Thanks tru. I'm now leaning toward Syzygium malaccense (Pink Satinash/Malay apple). This link has good information - https://www.growables.org/information/TropicalFruit/MalayApple.htm.

pagnr

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2023, 06:32:11 AM »
info on the Australian type malaccense
https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/syzygium_malaccense.htm

You can also search other Australian Syzygiums on this site. A few have purple fruit, but malaccense could be right.

It could be an interesting one as a rootstock for the better fruiting types from SE Asia. It should be a little tougher, for people wanting to growth further south.
That is one that I never found wild in FNQ, only the cultivated types.


fruit nerd

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #13 on: February 01, 2023, 07:20:40 AM »
Thanks for the link. Might grow a few seedlings and see how things go. Grafting sounds interesting.

Chandramohan

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #14 on: February 02, 2023, 06:19:57 AM »
Definitly not Malay Apple, as the fruits are large, atleast 40 to 60 mm.

pagnr

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #15 on: February 02, 2023, 07:00:06 AM »
Definitly not Malay Apple, as the fruits are large, atleast 40 to 60 mm.

I think it is thought of as a wild relative of the cultivated types.

fruit nerd, was that a wild tree or in a park or garden ?

Epiphyte

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #16 on: February 02, 2023, 08:06:06 PM »
using google lens, a decent match for the flowers is melicope elleryana, but the fruit doesn't match.

fruit nerd

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #17 on: February 02, 2023, 09:55:57 PM »
mmmm interesting. I'll need to look into this more. It's on my property in a patch of forest. I assume it's regrowth forest and could have some trees introduced by a previous owner.

cassowary

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #18 on: February 05, 2023, 09:37:00 PM »
Thanks for sharing, haven't seen this one before.
If it's not a syzygium I don't know what else it could be.
It reminds me a bit of syzygium cumini but it's not that IMO.
Can't be s malaccanse. But could be some form of Pink Satinash.
To me the CSIRO classification of it as S malaccanse seams strange. It looks to be different enough to be classified it's own species. Malaccanse are used for many plants found in the Malay peninsular.
This one might also be a natural hybrid with other wild syzygium.

it's ramiflorous, lefs obovate to laceolate, opposite arrangement, fruit a drupe (if the seed is hard), exocarp thin, mesocarp aprox 5mm, endocarp can't see. The end of the fruit is recessed where the pistil was so that is consistent with other syzygium I know.

description of S. malaccense:
 Foliage: Opposite leaves are oblong to elliptic with entire leaf margin.

What does it taste like??

I would definetly sow some seeds in a pot.


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NateTheGreat

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #19 on: February 06, 2023, 01:21:06 PM »
It's possible the branch came off of a different tree: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/369907-Melicope-elleryana The leaf arrangement is distinctive, but I can't quite rule it out from the picture. It does occur in the right area, flowers in December.

Inaturalist thinks the first pictures are Syzygium cuminii. I looked through the Syzygium species of QLD and didn't see anything with a pink flower and dark purple fruit. Nothing that looks closer than cuminii, which is shown as invasive in QLD. It seems like cuminii x malaccanse would have fruit and flowers of the right color, but I don't see anything online about that hybrid existing.

pagnr

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Re: Fruit ID - possible Australian native
« Reply #20 on: February 06, 2023, 01:37:15 PM »
To me the CSIRO classification of it as S malaccanse seams strange. It looks to be different enough to be classified it's own species.

Many plants when classified by the key system will fall into a species. In this case it must key out as malaccense.
Maybe DNA analysis might show unseen differences to either confirm or seperate ?
Syzygium aqueum also occurs in Cape York, but the fruit are not as big as the cultivated types from SE Asia.