Silver quandong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Silver quandong |
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| Elaeocarpus kirtonii growing at Morton National Park, Australia | |
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Elaeocarpus
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| Species: |
kirtonii
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The Elaeocarpus kirtonii is a tall rainforest tree. It is found in eastern Australia. People often call it the Silver Quandong. Other names include Brown-hearted Quandong, Whitewood, Pigeonberry Ash, and White Quandong. This tree was named after W. Kirton. He collected samples of the tree in 1885 for a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller.
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About the Silver Quandong Tree
The Silver Quandong is a very large and important tree in its forest home. It can grow up to 45 metres (about 148 feet) tall. Its trunk can be more than 2 metres (about 6.5 feet) wide.
Where the Silver Quandong Grows
This tree lives in rainforests along the eastern coast of Australia. You can find it from Milton, New South Wales in the south to Eungella National Park in tropical Queensland in the north. It likes tropical, sub-tropical, and warm temperate rainforests. It often grows in places that are cooler and wetter. It prefers rich soils, especially those from volcanoes or riverbeds.
What the Silver Quandong Looks Like
The outer bark of the tree is thin and silvery-grey. It has small bumps on it. The bottom of the tree trunk has large, wide supports called buttresses. These help the giant tree stand strong.
One special thing about this tree is its old leaves. They turn a bright red colour before they fall off. This is called being senescent. The leaves are long and thin, about 9 to 18 centimetres (3.5 to 7 inches) long. They are about 3 centimetres (1 inch) wide. They have jagged edges, like a saw. The leaves are dull green and have many veins. The leaf stalk is long, about 2 to 6 centimetres (0.8 to 2.4 inches). It is swollen where it joins the branch. When new leaves grow in spring, they are a beautiful salmon pink colour. This makes the tree stand out in the rainforest.
Flowers and Fruit
White, sweet-smelling flowers grow in clusters called racemes. These flowers appear from January to March. They are very pretty. The fruit of the Silver Quandong is a blue, plum-like fruit called a drupe. It is about 10 to 13 millimetres (0.4 to 0.5 inches) long. Inside, it has a hard, stone-like shell. This shell usually holds one or two seeds.
The fruit ripens from October to January. Many different rainforest birds enjoy eating these fruits. Growing new Silver Quandong trees from seeds can be tricky. The seeds take a long time to sprout. However, growing new trees from cuttings (small pieces of the plant) works better.
