''Ochrosia elliptica'', commonly known as northern ochrosia, bloodhorn, scarlet wedge-apple, or simply ochrosia, is a tree in the dogbane family

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

native to north-eastern

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 ...

and the southwest Pacific.

Description

The northern ochrosia is a small tree growing to about high. The leaves are glossy dark green above and paler below, arranged in whorls of three or four, and held on petioles around long. They have around 20–25 distinct secondary (lateral) veins and one or two intramarginal veins (i.e. a vein that parallels the leaf margin). The tertiary venation is obscure on the upper surface. The leaf shape is

obovate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets) ...

to broadly elliptic, and they measure up to long by wide. The flowers occur in axilliary clusters and are small, yellow/white and fragrant. They are followed by pairs of striking red fruit 5–6 cm long by 2–3 cm in diameter, which resemble elongated tomatoes or a pair of red horns. The fruits are poisonous, and plants bleed white sap copiously when wounded.

Uses

The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

and source of beads. It is cultivated for its medicinal use in

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 ...

. It is widely distributed as an ornamental, being valued for its startling bright red

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

and dense clusters of

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

flowers that are produced throughout the year on an open spreading leafy canopy. Its fruit and sap are highly poisonous.

Other names

: Gu cheng mei gui shu. English: Berrywood tree, Bloodhorn, Elliptic yellowwood,

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

ochrosia, Wedge apple.

References

elliptica Flora of Lord Howe Island Trees of New Caledonia Flora of Queensland {{Apocynaceae-stub