Alectryon oleifolius

(Desf.) S.T. Reynolds

Bullocky bush, Boonaree, Rosewood, Western Rosewood, Boonery

SapindaceaeFruitFlowersBark/SapPotential hazards — see below

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(c) cinclosoma, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by cinclosoma

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(c) Wayne Martin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) cinclosoma, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by cinclosoma

What to Eat

Edible parts: Buds, Gum, Fruit

The fruit, buds, and gum are edible.

Known Hazards

Alectryon oleifolius sheds leaves, more commonly over the summer months. Although palatable and formerly lopped for drought fodder, Alectryon oleifolius is toxic to livestock (particularly ruminants), as it contains cyanogenic glycosides which are converted to hydrogen cyanide when digested. Poisoning is much more likely to occur with starving stock, and when new growth is consumed. At other times, the foliage has been eaten without ill-effects. Some populations of Alectryon oleifolius reproduce by suckering, forming small stands of clonal plants.

Where to Find It

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in sandy soils. It suits dry areas. In tropical Queensland it grows between 225-725 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 8-10.

Australia*,

Countries: Australia

How to Identify

A small to medium sized tree. It grows to 9 m high. The bark is rough. The leaves are alternate and grey-green. They have prominent veins. The leaves have smooth edges. The flowers are small. They are cream and clustered at the ends of stems. The fruit has one shiny black seed. There is red flesh around the seed. The fruit is edible.

How to Grow

It can be grown from root suckers. Seeds germinate under extreme temperatures.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Alectryon oleifolius, commonly known as boonaree, inland rosewood or bullock bush (South Australia), is a species of small tree of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native to Australia.

Notes

There are 15-34 Electryon species.

References (9)

Austrobaileya 2(4):335. 1987
Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 476
Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 84
Hunter, J.T., 2017, Is there a relationship between contemporary high Aboriginal plant resource locations and mapped vegetation communities? Cunninghamia 17:27-34. The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. ISSN 2200 - 405X
Latz, P.K., 1996, Bushfires and Bushtucker: Aboriginal plant use in Central Australia. IAD Press Alice Springs p 122
Milson, J., 2000, Trees and Shrubs of north-west Queensland. DPI p 284
Paczkowska, G . & Chapman, A.R., 2000, The Western Australian Flora. A Descriptive Catalogue. Western Australian Herbarium. p 527
Steenbeeke, Greg as part of the Plants Directory project. List of plant species from northern NSW that may be used as food plants p 3
Williams, K.A.W., 1999, Native Plants of Queensland Volume 4. Keith A.W. Williams North Ipswich, Australia. p 46