Polyalthia australis
(Benth.) Jessup
Cape Canary Beech
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What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The ripe fruit are eaten.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows naturally in monsoon vine forests. It often grows along streams. It grows from sea level to 300 m above sea level.
Australia*,
How to Identify
A tree with a bushy growth pattern. It grows 8-16 m high and spreads 5-10 m wide. The branches are horizontal. The leaves are alternate and glossy. They are oval and 8-20 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. They often have wavy margins. New leaves are copper coloured. The leaf stalk is 1 cm long. The flowers occur in the axils of fallen leaves generally on old wood. The flowers are green with 5-6 long narrow petals. The fruit are in clusters of 20. They are oblong and fleshy. Fruit are 2.5 cm long. The fruit are orange but become deep red or brown when ripe. There is one seed which is 1.5-2 cm long. It is cream.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from fresh seed.
Production
The fruit are generally collected off the ground after they have fallen.
Notes
There are about 120 Polyalthia species. They grow in the tropics.
Names & Synonyms
Northern Territory polyalthia
References (11)
- Checklist of NT Vascular Plant Species. January 2003.
- Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 26
- Elliot, W.R., & Jones, D.L., 1997, Encyclopedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. Vol 7. Lothian. p 409 (Drawing)
- Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 237
- Jackes, B.R., 2001, Plants of the Tropics. Rainforest to Heath. An Identification Guide. James Cook University. p 39
- Paczkowska, G. & Chapman, A.R., 2000, The Western Australian Flora. A Descriptive Catalogue. Western Australian Herbarium. p 145
- Townsend, K., 1994, Across the Top. Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. Society for Growing Australian Plants, Townsville Branch Inc. p 319
- Vigilante, T., et al, 2013, Island country: Aboriginal connections, values and knowledge of the Western Kimberley islands in the context of an island biological survey. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 145-182
- Wheeler, J.R.(ed.), 1992, Flora of the Kimberley Region. CALM, Western Australian Herbarium, p 57
- Yunupinu Banjgul, Laklak Yunupinu-Marika, et al. 1995, Rirratjinu Ethnobotany: Aboriginal Plant Use from Yirrkala, Arnhem Land, Australia. Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin No 21. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. p 65.
- Wightman, G. M. & Andrews, M.R., 1989, Plants of Northern Territory Monsoon Vine Forests (Vol 1). Conservation Commission of Northern Territory. p 72
