| Blueberry Ash | |
|---|---|
| Blueberry Ash - flowers and fruit | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Oxalidales |
| Family: | Elaeocarpaceae |
| Genus: | Elaeocarpus |
| Species: | E. reticulatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Elaeocarpus reticulatus Sm. |
|
| Synonyms | |
Elaeocarpus reticulatus, the Blueberry Ash, is a large shrub or tree which can grow to a height of 15m.[1] In NSW rainforests it can attain a height of 30 metres.[2] 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 leaves which turn bright red as they get older.[1]
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 southeastern Queensland and eastern NSW 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.