Blueberry Ash
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| Elaeocarpus reticulatus Sm. |
Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) is a large shrub, or a tree growing to 15m high. Its most conspicuous features are white or pink cup-shaped flowers with fringed edges and round blue fruits. Strictly botanically, the fruits aren't actually real berries but drupes. Blueberry Ash also has attractive 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 southern Queensland 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.
[edit] References
- National Trust NSW (September 1989) "Bushland Survey Loreto College, Normanhurst"
- Brown, Liz (2002). Elaeocarpus reticulatus - Growing Native Plants. Australian National Botanic Gardens.
- PlantNET New South Wales Flora Online: Elaeocarpus reticulatus
