Blue plum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue plum |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Elaeocarpus
|
| Species: |
arnhemicus
|
The Blue Plum (scientific name: Elaeocarpus arnhemicus) is a cool flowering plant found in northern Australia and New Guinea. It's also known as bony quandony or Arnhem Land quandong. This plant is a small tree that produces amazing metallic blue fruits!
About the Blue Plum Tree
The blue plum tree usually grows up to 15 meters (about 50 feet) tall. Its trunk can be up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) wide.
Leaves and Flowers
Its leaves are shaped like narrow ovals or spears. They are about 5 to 12 centimeters long and 2 to 5 centimeters wide. The edges of the leaves have tiny saw-like teeth. Each leaf grows on a small stem called a petiole, which is about 3 to 15 millimeters long.
The flowers are white or cream-colored. They grow in clusters called racemes, which can be up to 6 centimeters long. Each flower has small, egg-shaped parts called sepals (like tiny leaves protecting the bud). The petals are about 2.7 to 4.2 millimeters long and have cool, thin lobes at their tips.
Inside the flowers, there are about 18 to 20 stamens (the parts that make pollen). There is also a smooth style (the part that receives pollen). Blue plum trees usually flower from January to July.
The Fruit
After flowering, the tree produces its fruit. The fruit is shaped like an oval and has a shiny, metallic blue color. It's a type of fruit called a drupe, which means it has a fleshy outer part and a hard pit or stone inside (like a peach or cherry). These fruits are about 8 to 16.5 millimeters long and 6.5 to 12.5 millimeters wide.
Where It Lives
Blue plum trees grow in rainforests that are fed by natural springs. You can find them in the northern part of the Northern Territory, the Cape York Peninsula, and north-east Queensland in Australia. They also grow in New Guinea. These trees can be found at altitudes up to 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) above sea level.
How It Got Its Name
The scientific name Elaeocarpus arnhemicus was first officially described in 1868. This was done by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller in his book called Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.
