Re: Eleaocarpus australis

There is no Elaeocarpus australis in the International Plant Name Index, so we can assume it was just someone's 'slip of the pen'.
 
In the wetter coastal belt of eastern Australia, E. reticulatus is a common small tree and the only member of the genus that extends into eucalypt open-forest on poor sandstone soils. It has pretty white flowers in late spring followed by profuse china-blue small drupes in summer and autumn, making a long-lasting display. Its common name here is 'blueberry ash'. Unfortunately the seeds are very difficult to germinate -- one theory is that need to lie for several years in leaf litter subject to alternate wetting and drying to leach out germination inhibitors. So propagation is generally from cuttings. Pink-flowered plants occur sporadically in the wild and have become popular here as ornamentals -- some a moderately deep pink, and they seem to make compact columnar to conical small trees capable of fast early growth.
 
Most of the 20 or so Australian Elaeocarpus species are confined to Queensland rainforests. The 2 southernmost are E. reticulatus (S to Victoria & Tasmania) and E. holopetalus (NSW and E Victoria, mostly in Nothofagus forest). All are worth growing: I especially like the small-leaved E. obovatus from littoral rainforests and the very tall and fast-growing E. grandis of riverine rainforests, which drops intense blue fruit the size of large marbles.
 
Moira's source giving 2000 species is inaccurate; the current estimate is about 350. I think the majority are from Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippines and a large proportion are mountain plants which would grow in warm-temperate climates like coastal California. There is a potential wealth of ornamentals among them, also in some of the other genera of the Elaeocarpaceae.
 
Tony Rodd
Sydney, Australia
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: t*@xtra.co.nz
To: m*@ucdavis.edu
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2002 12:09 PM
Subject: Re: Eleaocarpus australis


Jane Zammit wrote.

Elaeocarpus, commonly known as Blueberry Ash, Silver Quandong etc in
Australia. My books mention the following
species:reticulatus, (syn. E cyaneus), grandis, kirtonii,(syn. E
bauerlenii) and denticulatus, which is given a common name of New
Zealand's Hinau (pale yellow flowers). No mention of australis anywhere.

There are apparently about 2000 species of Elaeocarpus, but most are
tropical, coming from the hotter parts of India and Malaysia, with a
scatterng of outliers in Australia and NZ. They are described as trees
or tall shrubs very attractive when in flower and flowers are followed
by large quantities of bright-coloured decorative fruit.

The 25 Australian species (including the Blueberry Ash) are apparently
all tender and found mainly in the tropical rainforest areas.

The two (endemic) NZ species will take frost, but apparently only the
Hinau is really garden-worthy and even that is not often seen  in
gardens, I am not sure why. They seem to be quite common in the wild.

I can find no trace of E australis in any of the lists I have, but I
think it is nearly sure to be frost tender and need  a pretty warm
growing climate to succeed.

Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ.     Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm

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