''Syzygium oleosum'', common names include blue lilly pilly, Scented satinash, and blue cherry. It is a species of ''Syzygium'' tree native to the 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 ...

rainforests Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

and wet sclerophyll forests.

Description

It is usually a small tree, 4 to 15 m tall. The leaves are opposite, simple and

lanceolate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe * Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd * Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...

, with a dark glossy upper surface and paler under-surface. The leaves have oil dots and are distinctly aromatic when crushed, with aromas reminiscent of

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

s. Its flowers are small and white-cream colored. It produces a purplish red fruit when young, changing to purplish blue when ripe, 13–40 mm in diameter.

Distribution

A wide distribution range on the east side of Australia. From Cooktown, North Queensland to the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal Regions of New South Wales, region in the southeast of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast, New South Wales, South Coast region. It encompas ...

, New South Wales.

Uses

The blue fruit can be eaten freshly picked from the tree or cooked. It has a pleasantly crisp texture and is mildly aromatic and sweet. The fruit can also be made into

jam Fruit preserves are preparations of fruits whose main preserving agent is sugar and sometimes acid, often stored in glass jars and used as a condiment or spread. There are many varieties of fruit preserves globally, distinguished by the meth ...

s, jellies and

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

. It is also grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2024713 oleosum Trees of Australia Ornamental trees Myrtales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Bushfood Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller