Green plum facts for kids

The Green Plum (Buchanania obovata) is a special tree from northern Australia. It's also sometimes called the Wild Mango. This small to medium-sized tree grows in woodlands. You can find it especially in places like Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

Its leaves are smooth and thick, feeling a bit like leather. They are shaped like a wide oval and can be from 5 to 25 centimeters long. The flowers are tiny and cream-colored, only about 0.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is smooth and fleshy. It's shaped like a lens and is about 1 to 1.7 centimeters long.

Scientists officially described this plant in 1883. This happened after plant samples were collected from Escape Cliffs in the Northern Territory. A person named C. Hull collected these samples.

What is the Green Plum?

The Green Plum, or Buchanania obovata, is a tree that grows in the northern parts of Australia. It is a native plant, meaning it has always grown there naturally. It usually grows under taller trees in forests and woodlands.

What Does the Green Plum Look Like?

The leaves of the Green Plum are quite unique. They are smooth and thick, almost like leather. Their shape is broadly oblong, which means they are wider than a typical oval. These leaves can be anywhere from 5 to 25 centimeters long. They can also be from 1.5 to 10 centimeters wide.

The flowers of the Green Plum are small and cream-colored. They are only about 0.5 centimeters across. The fruit is smooth and has a fleshy inside. It looks like a small lens and is about 1 to 1.7 centimeters long.

How Was the Green Plum Discovered by Science?

The Green Plum was officially named and described by scientists in 1883. This happened after a plant collector named C. Hull found samples of the tree. He collected these samples from a place called Escape Cliffs in the Northern Territory.

Uses of the Green Plum

The fruit of the Green Plum has been an important food source for a very long time.

Traditional Uses by Indigenous Australians

Aboriginal people have traditionally eaten the fruit of the Green Plum. It is known as a bushfood, which means it's a native food found in the wild. The plant also has traditional medicinal uses. This means parts of the plant were used to help with health problems.

Modern Research and Future Potential

In 2020, scientists at The University of Queensland started studying the Green Plum fruit. Even though Indigenous Australians have eaten it for over 53,000 years, many other people didn't know much about it. The scientists learned about this special plum from people in a remote community called Yirrkala.

The Green Plum is usually harvested after another well-known native fruit, the Kakadu plum. Scientists did tests on the Green Plum fruit to see what nutrients it contains. They found it has high levels of important things like protein and dietary fibre. It also has many minerals, including potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

What's more, the Green Plum has one of the highest levels of folate among fruits sold today. Because of all these great nutrients, scientists are looking into whether the Green Plum could become a commercial crop. This means it could be grown and sold, which would help Indigenous communities.