Elaeocarpus Grandis

''Elaeocarpus grandis'', commonly known as the blue quandong, silver quandong or blue fig, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae which was first described in 1860. It is a large buttressed tree native to the coastal rainforests of northeastern Australia. The validity of this taxon is disputed, with some authorities accepting it and others presenting it as ''Elaeocarpus angustifolius''.

Description

''Elaeocarpus grandis'' is a large tree that may grow to a height of . The trunk is usually straight and cylindrical with pale grey bark marked by vertical lines. Buttress roots are present even on smaller trees, becoming large and elaborate on older trees. The crown is sparse and open, the branches layered, with the leaves clustered towards the ends of the twigs.

The leaves are bright green above and paler below, turning bright red before falling; it is common to see red leaves in the canopy at any time of year. The leaves are simple, i.e. without divisions or lobes, and arranged alternately on the twigs. They are oblong to elliptic and measure up to long and wide, and are regularly and shallowly toothed. They are held on a petiole up to long and have many small domatia on the underside.

The blue quandong begins to flower around the seventh year, and the inflorescences are racemes up to long, produced in the leaf axils and on the branches below the leaves. They each bear 12–16 fragrant, pale green to white flowers on pedicels about long. The flowers measure about wide and long, with five petals that have thin lobes at their apices, giving them a fringed appearance. They have between fifty and seventy stamens.

The fruit is an almost spherical blue drupe, measuring about in diameter. Beneath the skin there is a thin layer of green flesh around the deeply sculptured stone. The stone contains between two and five seeds.

Phenology

Flowering and fruiting appears to occur throughout the year. The Australian botanist Wendy Elizabeth Cooper has stated that flowering of ''E. grandis'' occurs from October to March and fruit appear in any month. The citizen-science website iNaturalist compiles phenology data from the observations that are uploaded to it, which shows that flowering has been observed in this species in all months except August, September and October, while fruit were observed in every month but with a significant surge of sightings from June to November.

Taxonomy and naming

''Elaeocarpus grandis'' was first described in 1860 by the German-born Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in his massive work '' Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ''. It was based on plant material collected by himself and a Mr. Hill on the banks of the Pine River. In 1984 the British botanist Mark James Elgar Coode published a 98-page paper covering the genus ''Elaeocarpus'' in Australia and New Zealand, in which he reduced ''E. grandis'' to synonymy under '' E. angustifolius''. However, in 2010 it was again accepted as a valid species by the Australian Plant Census.

Taxonomic status

This species is an unresolved taxon, meaning that various authorities disagree on its validity. It is recognised by the national taxonomic authority in Australia, the Australian Plant Census, by Plants of the World Online and by World Flora Online. It is also recognised by the authorities of both Australian states in which it is purported to exist, i.e. Queensland and New South Wales. On the other hand, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility considers it to be a synonym of ''E. angustifolius'', and Catalogue of Life treats it as a variety of ''E. angustifolius''.

Etymology

The genus name ''Elaeocarpus'' is derived from the Greek words '' ελιά'' (''eliá'') meaning "olive", and '' καρπός'' (''karpós'') meaning "fruit", which is a reference to the superficial similarity of the fruits of the two taxa. The species epithet ''grandis'' is the Latin word for "large", referring to the great height that this tree will grow to.

Distribution and habitat

The blue quandong grows in well developed tropical and subtropical rainforest, often along watercourses. Its range is the coastal forests from the islands of the Torres Strait, through to the Nambucca River in northeastern New South Wales. In north Queensland the altitudinal range is from sea level to .

Ecology

The fruit of ''E. grandis'' are eaten by a variety of birds and animals, including the southern cassowary; the wompoo, rose-crowned and superb fruit doves; the pied imperial, topknot and white-headed pigeons; the eastern tube-nosed bat and the spectacled flying fox; the musky rat-kangaroo and native rats; and Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo.

The larvae of the moths '' Echiomima mythica'' and '' Eschatura lemurias'' bore into the timber of fallen trees, and were subsequently eaten by people of the Kuku Yalanji nation.

Cultivation

The blue quandong is ideal for large gardens and parks, but its sheer size make it unsuitable for suburban home gardens or planting near drains. About 50 of these trees have been planted throughout the city of Cairns.

Uses

Timber

The species is well regarded for its timber and as a key part in regenerating rainforest. In the colonial period, the timber was used for furniture, construction and for racing sculls and oars.

Use as food

Indigenous Australians ate the fruit raw or buried the unripe fruit in sand for four days making it sweet and more palatable. Early settlers used the fruit for jams, pies and pickles.

Decoration

Aboriginal people used the stones to make necklaces.

Gallery

File:Elaeocarpus-grandis-ALA-1.jpg, Inflorecence
File:Elaeocarpus grandis.jpg, Foliage and fruit
File:Blue Quandong.jpg, Fruit
File:Elaeocarpus-grandis-SF22185-01.jpg, Trunk


File:Elaeocarpus-grandis-SF23333-11.jpg, Leaves, fruit and seed
File:Elaeocarpus angustifolius 1.jpg, Branch
File:Elaeocarpus-grandis-SF22203-01.jpg, Leaves
File:Elaeocarpus-grandis-SF23333-02.jpg, Large buttresses

References

External links

*

View a map
of recorded sightings of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium

See images
of this species on Flickriver

View observations
of this species on iNaturalist

{{Taxonbar, from=Q50828866

grandis
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1860
Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller