Cryptocarya microneura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cryptocarya microneura |
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| Fluted trunk of the murrogun | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cryptocarya
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| Species: |
microneura
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The murrogun (scientific name: Cryptocarya microneura) is a cool rainforest tree found along the eastern coast of Australia. It's a special part of the Australian bush!
Contents
Where the Murrogun Lives
This tree loves to grow in warm rainforests. You can often find it in places with not-so-rich soil. It also grows in special rainforests right by the coast, called littoral rainforests.
The murrogun grows from near Batemans Bay in the southern Illawarra area of New South Wales. It stretches all the way north to near Nambour, Queensland in Queensland. This means it covers a long part of Australia's eastern coastline!
What the Murrogun Looks Like
The Cryptocarya microneura, also known as the murrogun, is usually a small to medium-sized tree. It can grow up to about 25 metres (82 feet) tall. Its trunk can be around 30 centimetres (12 inches) wide.
Bark and Trunk
The bark of younger murrogun trees is grey and feels a bit like cork. On older, larger trees, the bark is more greyish-brown and can look scaly. A cool thing about this tree is that its trunk often has an unusual or wavy shape, which is called "fluted."
Leaves
The leaves of the murrogun grow one after another along the stem. They are simple, meaning they are not divided into smaller leaflets. Each leaf has a long, slightly rounded tip. The top side of the leaf is a shiny dark green, while the underside is a lighter green.
Flowers
You can see the murrogun's flowers from September to November. They are a creamy colour and don't have a strong smell. These tiny flowers grow in bunches called panicles. They are also covered in fine, soft hairs.
Fruit
The fruit of the murrogun is a type of fruit called a drupe. It's shiny, black, and has a pointed shape. Each fruit is about 12 millimetres (half an inch) wide and has faint lines running down it. Rainforest birds, like the topknot pigeon, love to eat these fruits.
If you want to plant a murrogun tree from its seed, it's a good idea to remove the fleshy part around the seed first. This helps the seed sprout more easily.
Butterflies and the Murrogun
The murrogun tree is also very important for some butterflies! It's a "host plant" for their caterpillars. This means that butterflies like Chaetocneme beata, Netrocoryne repanda, and Graphium sarpedon lay their eggs on the murrogun. When the eggs hatch, the caterpillars eat the murrogun's leaves.
Images for kids
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Cryptocarya microneura – leaves
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Cryptocarya microneura – bark
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A friendly robot
