''Ehretia acuminata'' is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree found in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Fossil evidence suggests an ancient

Laurasia Laurasia () was the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from around ( Mya), the other being Gondwana. It separated from Gondwana (beginning in the late Triassic period) during the breakup of Pa ...

n origin. This group of plants spread to Australia and South America via Africa, when these continents were still joined. Commonly known as koda in Australia, ''Ehretia acuminata'' is a common tree found from near Bega in south east

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

to Cape York in far north eastern Australia. The Australian habitat are different forms of rainforest, particularly near the margins or in disturbed areas.

Description

''Ehretia acuminata'' is a medium to large size tree, occasionally reaching 30 metres in height and a 90 cm in trunk diameter. The bark is of a creamy grey colour, with vertical fissures. Koda is often easily identified in winter as being

and of the characteristic flutings at the base of the trunk.

Leaves, flowers and fruit

The leaves are alternate and simple, tapering to a tip, finely toothed, 8 to 13 cm long. Smooth and green on both surfaces slightly hairy above. The midrib and lateral veins are distinct on both sides of the leaf, raised beneath. Flowers are white, sweetly scented, in panicles. Individual flowers are without a stalk, about 4 mm in diameter. Flowers appear in September to November in the southern hemisphere. The fruit matures from January to April in Australia, in China in September, being a yellow or orange

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...

, 4 to 5 mm in diameter, containing four seeds. The fruit is edible to humans with a sweet taste. Fruit are eaten by many rainforest birds, including the

Lewin's honeyeater Lewin's honeyeater (''Meliphaga lewinii'') is a bird that inhabits the ranges along the east coast of Australia. It has a semicircular ear-patch, pale yellow in colour. The name of this bird commemorates the Australian artist John Lewin. Another ...

, rose-crowned fruit-dove, brown cuckoo dove,

wompoo fruit dove The wompoo fruit dove (''Ptilinopus magnificus''), also known as wompoo pigeon and "magnificent fruit dove" among others, is one of the larger fruit doves native to New Guinea and eastern Australia. Taxonomy The wompoo fruit dove was Species de ...

and Australasian figbird. Seed germination is relatively easy. Ensure the flesh is removed from the fruit, and expect rapid germination. Image:Ehretia acuminata - juvenile.jpg, Ehretia acuminata - juvenile Image:Ehretia acuminata Blanco1.70-cropped.jpg, Koda File:厚殼樹 Ehretia acuminata 20210805083404 01.jpg, Aeneous-colored new leaves. File:厚殼樹 Ehretia acuminata 20210805083404 02.jpg, The red violet petioles and main veins of young leaves.

Commercial use

''Ehretia acuminat''a is used for roadside plantings, building and furniture timber, as well as in

Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

References

External links

acuminata @ eFloras.org
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q920691 acuminata Trees of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Trees of Japan Trees of China Trees of Taiwan Asterids of Australia Trees of Laos Trees of Vietnam Trees of Bhutan Trees of Nepal Japanese fruit

Description

Leaves, flowers and fruit

Commercial use

References

Further reading

External links