Blush condoo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blush condoo |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Planchonella
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| Species: |
P. queenslandica
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| Pouteria queenslandica P.Royen
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Pouteria queenslandica (P.Royen) Jessup |
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The Blush Condoo (scientific name: Planchonella queenslandica) is a tall tree that grows in rainforests. It belongs to the Sapotaceae family, which includes many fruit-bearing trees. This amazing tree is native to eastern Australia. You can find it in rainforests near the sea and also in drier rainforests further inland. Its home stretches from the Richmond River, New South Wales in the south, all the way up to Coen, Queensland in tropical Queensland. It even grows as far west as Melville Island in the Northern Territory.
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Understanding the Blush Condoo's Name
The Blush Condoo has had a few different scientific names over time. Scientists who study plants, called taxonomists, sometimes disagree on the best way to group them. This means a plant's scientific name can change.
For example, some scientists think this tree belongs to the genus Pouteria. Others prefer the genus Planchonella. This is why you might see different names for the same plant. Some older names for this tree include Sersalisia laurifolia and Pouteria queenslandica.
What Does the Blush Condoo Look Like?
The Blush Condoo is a very impressive rainforest tree. It can grow up to 40 metres (about 130 feet) tall. That's as tall as a 13-story building! Its trunk can be as wide as 90 centimetres (36 inches).
The top part of the tree, called the crown, is a bright green color. Its leaves are grouped together near the ends of the branches.
Bark and Branches
On younger trees, the bark is quite smooth. But as the tree gets older and bigger, its bark becomes rougher and scaly. You might see small vertical lines on the trunks of younger trees. These are called lenticels, which are like tiny pores that help the tree breathe.
Older bark often peels off in uneven pieces. The smaller branches of the tree are thick and smooth. New leaf buds have a soft, fawn-colored fuzz. If you cut the bark, you might see a white, milky sap.
Blush Condoo Leaves
The leaves of the Blush Condoo are arranged one after another along the stem. They do not have jagged edges. Their shape is like an oval or a long oval. Each leaf is usually 9 to 20 centimetres (3.6 to 8 inches) long. They are about 3 to 6 centimetres (1.2 to 2.4 inches) wide.
The top side of the leaves is shiny green. The underside is a more yellow-green color. The leaves feel a bit leathery when you touch them. The stalk that connects the leaf to the branch is 8 to 25 millimetres long. You can see the leaf veins more clearly on the underside of the leaf. There are usually six to sixteen side veins branching off the main vein.
Flowers and Fruit
The Blush Condoo produces flowers that smell like caramel. These flowers grow in small groups where the leaves meet the stem. They appear from May to November. The flowers are green or cream-colored and a bit hairy. They are about 6 millimetres long and have five petals.
The fruit of the Blush Condoo is a black berry. It is about 2 centimetres long. Inside the fruit, there are one or two shiny brown seeds. These seeds are narrow and oval, about 12 millimetres long. Each seed has a scar on its side that runs more than half its length. The fruit ripens from August to December.
Many rainforest animals enjoy eating these fruits. This includes birds like the topknot pigeon and the wompoo fruit-dove. For new trees to grow, it's best to use fresh seeds.
