Pennantia cunninghamii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pennantia cunninghamii |
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| Young Pennantia cunninghamii growing near Kiama, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Pennantia
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| Species: |
cunninghamii
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The Pennantia cunninghamii, also known as the brown beech, is a special tree that grows in the rainforests of eastern Australia. You can find it from Clyde Mountain in southern New South Wales all the way up to Atherton in tropical Queensland.
This tree loves to grow in warm, wet rainforests where the soil is rich. It's often found near streams in cooler places. Sometimes, you might even spot it in areas with poorer soil, like Watagans National Park, or in colder rainforests, such as those near Robertson. It's pretty easy to spot because its leaves and small branches grow in a unique zig-zag pattern. The tree's trunk also often looks a bit crooked or leaning.
Contents
What Does the Brown Beech Look Like?
The brown beech is a medium to large tree. It can grow up to 30 meters (about 98 feet) tall, which is as tall as a ten-story building! Its trunk can be quite wide, up to 90 centimeters (about 3 feet) across. The trunk often looks bumpy, uneven, and leans to one side. The bottom of the trunk usually has wide, flat parts called flanges. The bark of the tree is either brown or dark grey.
Leaves and Branches
The leaves of the brown beech grow on zig-zagging small branches. These branches have tiny brown dots on them. The leaves grow one after another along the branch. They are shaped like an oval or an egg, usually 7 to 15 centimeters (about 3 to 6 inches) long. Each leaf has a short, pointed tip. If you look at the underside of the leaf, you'll see that the veins stick out more than on the top side.
Flowers and Fruit
The brown beech produces white flowers that grow in clusters called panicles. These clusters are usually 5 to 12 centimeters (about 2 to 5 inches) long. Each tiny flower is only about 3 millimeters long and has five petals, each about 2 millimeters long. The tree usually flowers between November and January.
After flowering, the tree grows fruit. The fruit is a black, egg-shaped drupe, which is a type of fruit with a hard pit inside, like a peach or a cherry. Each fruit is about 13 millimeters long and contains one seed. The fruit ripens from October to July. To help the seeds grow, it's a good idea to remove the fleshy part around the seed. Once that's done, the seeds usually sprout easily.
Who Eats the Brown Beech Fruit?
The fruit of the brown beech is a tasty snack for many animals. The grey-headed flying fox, which is a type of large bat, loves to eat them. Many different bird species also enjoy the fruit, including the brown cuckoo dove, green catbird, topknot pigeon, wompoo fruit-dove, and white-headed pigeon.
Interestingly, the larva (young stage) of a moth called Cardamyla carinentalis also uses this tree. It forms its cocoon (pupates) between the leaves of the Pennantia cunninghamii tree.
Images for kids
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Young plant growing near Kiama
See also
In Spanish: Pennantia cunninghamii para niños
