Buchanania obovata
| Buchanania obovata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Anacardiaceae |
| Genus: | Buchanania |
| Species: | B. obovata |
| Binomial name | |
| Buchanania obovata Engl.[1] | |
Buchanania obovata is a small to medium sized understorey tree in woodlands native to northern Australia.[2] Common names include green plum and wild mango.[3][4]
Leaves are smooth, thick, leathery, broadly oblong, 5–25 centimetres (2.0–9.8 in) long and 1.5–10 centimetres (0.59–3.94 in) wide. Flowers are small, cream-coloured and 0.5 centimetres (0.20 in) across. The fruit is smooth, fleshy, lens-shaped, 1–1.7 centimetres (0.39–0.67 in) long.
The species was formally described in 1883 based on plant material collected from Escape Cliffs in the Northern Territory by C. Hull.[2]
Uses
The fruit is traditionally eaten by Aborigines. The plant also has traditional medicinal uses.[5]
During an expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington between 1844 and 1845, explorer Ludwig Leichhardt encountered the species[6] which he, at the time, identified as Coniogeton arborescens: [7]
My companions had, for several days past, gathered the unripe fruits of Coniogeton arborescens, Br.; which, when boiled, imparted an agreeable acidity to the water, and when thus prepared tasted tolerable well. When ripe, they became sweet and pulpy, like gooseberries, although their rind was not very thick. This resemblance induced us to call the tree “The little Gooseberry tree.” At the table land, and along the upper South Alligator River, it was a tree from twenty-five to thirty feet high, with a fresh green shady foliage; but, at the Cobourg Peninsula, it dwindled into a low shrub. The fruit was much esteemed there by the natives; for, although the tree was of smaller size, the fruit was equally large and fine.
References
- ↑ "Buchanania obovata Engl.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Buchanania obovata Engl.". Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
- ↑ Hyland, B. P. M.; Whiffin, T.; Zich, F. A. et al. (Dec 2010). "Factsheet – Buchanania obovata". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants. Edition 6.1, online version [RFK 6.1]. Cairns, Australia: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, through its Division of Plant Industry; the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research; the Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ↑ Paczkowska, Grazyna (1996-05-01). "Buchanania obovata Engl.". FloraBase. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
- ↑ Brock, John (1988). Top End Native Plants. ISBN 0-7316-0859-3.
- ↑ Fensham, R.J.; Bean, A.R.; Dowe, J.L.; Dunlop, C.R. (2006). "This disastrous event staggered me: Reconstructing the botany of Ludwig Leichhardt on the expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington, 1844-45". Cunninghamia 9 (4). Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ↑ Ludwig Leichhardt (1847). Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia from Moreton Bay to Port Essington: A Distance of Upwards of 3000 Miles, During the Years, 1844-1845. Atlas. Libraries Board of South Australia. pp. 479–. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
External links
Media related to Buchanania obovata at Wikimedia Commons