Notelaea ligustrina
| Privet Mock Olive | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mount Imlay, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Oleaceae |
| Genus: | Notelaea |
| Species: | N. ligustrina |
| Binomial name | |
| Notelaea ligustrina Vent.[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Nestegis ligustrina (Vent.) L.A.S.Johnson | |
Notelaea ligustrina, known as The Privet Mock Olive, Native Olive, Doral or Silkwood, is a plant in the olive family, found in south eastern Australia. Growing in and near rainforests south of Monga National Park, and into Victoria and the island state of Tasmania.[2] The specific epithet ligustrina refers to the Privet, which it resembles.[3]
A shrub or small tree, up to 16 metres tall and a trunk diameter of 80 cm. It features dull, hairless leaves, 3 to 10 cm long, 10 to 25 mm wide. Leaf stems are purple in colour, 2 to 5 mm long. Greenish yellow flowers form on racemes from the leaf axils, from January to April. Relatively large fruit mature from summer to Easter, up to 10 mm in diameter. White, or colours between pink to dark purple. Though edible and often heavy yielding, the fruit have a large pip and a strong, bitter taste which gives them little food value.
References
- ↑ "Notelaea ligustrina Vent.". The Plant List. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- ↑ "Nestegis ligustrina". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online, retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ↑ Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 2008, ISBN 978-0-9589436-7-3 page 273