Beilschmiedia elliptica facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beilschmiedia elliptica |
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| Leaves of the grey walnut | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Beilschmiedia
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| Species: |
elliptica
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The grey walnut (scientific name: Beilschmiedia elliptica) is a special kind of tree. It grows in the rainforests of eastern Australia. You can find it naturally from Forster, New South Wales in the south up to Fraser Island in south-eastern Queensland. This tree likes warm, mild, and sub-tropical rainforests. It's not a rare tree, but it can be hard to spot in the thick rainforest.
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What Does the Grey Walnut Look Like?
The grey walnut is a medium to large tree. It can grow up to 30 metres (about 98 feet) tall. Its trunk can be as wide as 90 centimetres (about 3 feet).
Trunk and Bark
The trunk of the tree is usually reddish-brown or grey. It often has small raised bumps and dips in its bark. The bottom of the trunk might be a bit wider or have small supports, like buttresses.
Leaves
The young shoots and stems of the tree are a bit hairy. The leaves are shaped like an oval. They grow one after another along the stem. The edges of the leaves are smooth, not jagged. Each leaf is usually 8 to 10 centimetres (about 3-4 inches) long and 2 to 3 centimetres (about 1 inch) wide. You can easily see the veins on both sides of the leaf. The main vein in the middle stands out, and there's also a clear vein near the edge of the leaf.
Flowers and Fruit
Cream-coloured flowers grow in clusters called panicles. These flowers appear from August to October. After the flowers, the tree produces fruit. The fruit is a black, round, fleshy fruit called a drupe. It has a slightly waxy, bluish-white coating, which is called a glaucous bloom. Each fruit is about 12 millimetres (half an inch) long and has one seed inside. The fruit is ready to eat from February to April.
To help the seed grow, it's a good idea to remove the fleshy part of the fruit. This helps the seed sprout. Grey walnut seeds grow slowly, but they are usually reliable.
Wildlife and the Grey Walnut
Many different birds enjoy eating the fruit of the grey walnut. Some of these birds include the rose-crowned fruit dove, the topknot pigeon, and the white-headed pigeon. These birds help spread the seeds of the tree around the rainforest.
