Prunus costata facts for kids

Prunus costata is a special kind of tree. It belongs to the Prunus family, which includes many well-known trees like cherries and plums. This particular tree grows naturally in the wild on the island of New Guinea.

Discovering Prunus costata

This tree can grow quite tall, reaching up to 25 meters (about 82 feet). That's as tall as a seven-story building! Prunus costata looks a lot like another tree called Prunus grisea. The main way to tell them apart is by looking at their seeds.

Where Does Prunus costata Grow?

Prunus costata is found only in New Guinea. The first time scientists officially recorded this tree was on a mountain called Mt. Scratchley. This mountain is very high up, between 10,000 and 13,000 feet (about 3,000 to 4,000 meters) above sea level. Imagine a tree growing so high in the mountains!

Flowers and Reproduction

The flowers of Prunus costata are quite interesting. They grow in clusters along a stalk, which is called a raceme. Each flower has small white petals, only about 1 to 3 millimeters long. But what makes them stand out are their many stamens. Stamens are the parts of the flower that produce pollen.

Each flower has between 20 and 35 stamens. These stamens are usually about 5.5 millimeters long. Because there are so many of them, the flowers look a bit bristly. This tree is also special because it flowers often. It blooms about three to four times every year. After most of these flowering times, the tree successfully produces fruit.