''Emmenosperma alphitonioides'', the yellow ash or bonewood, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It grows from

Clyde River, New South Wales The Clyde River ( Dhurga: ''Bhundoo'') is an open intermediate tide dominated drowned valley estuary, or perennial river that flows into the Tasman Sea at Batemans Bay, located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Cour ...

near Batemans Bay (35° S), to

Cape York Peninsula Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...

in at the most northerly part of Australia. It grows in many different types of rainforest, in tropical, sub tropical and warm temperate rainforests.

Description

Growing to around 35 metres tall, and in diameter. The outer bark is fissured, silvery grey. The fissures become more evident on larger trees. The trunk is somewhat flanged at the base. The leaves appear almost "featureless", green, opposite, not toothed, somewhat resembling leaves of a lemon or orange. 2 to long, 2 to wide with a blunt point. The petioles are 4 to long and smooth. Lower leaf surface paler than the top side. Leaf veins evident on both sides. White flowers appear between August and November, in cymes of

panicles A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are ...

. The fruit is a bright orange and fleshy, with two seeds. Fruit matures from March to August. When fruiting, the tree is easily identified by masses of orange

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

s. The use of a file is recommended to weaken the seed shell, to assist germination.

References

* Floyd, A.G., ''Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia'', Inkata Press 1989, {{Taxonbar, from=Q5373434 Rhamnaceae Rosales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller