Exocarpos cupressiformis
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| Exocarpos cupressiformis | ||||||||||||||
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| Exocarpos cupressiformis Labill. |
Exocarpos cupressiformis, is an Australian endemic plant species commonly known as the native cherry or ballart. The species is found in sclerophyll forest on the east coast of Australia.
It is a small tree (or large shrub), hemiparasitic on the roots of other trees. The leaves are reduced to small scales and the stems are the site of photosynthesis. It superficially resembles the cypress. Its flowers are arranged in clusters on short spikes; the fruit is a globular nut on a short stalk, as it ripens the stalk swells and turns red, like an inside out cherry. The fruit is 4-6 mm long and is edible.
The wood is coarse-grained and was historically used for making furniture, gun-stocks, and tool handles.
The genus Exocarpos is placed in the family Santalaceae; it contains 26 species in Australia, south-east Asia and the Pacific Islands.
[edit] References
- Australian Encyclopaedia Volume 2, p 175, Angus and Robertson Limited, 1926
