Sloanea australis
Encyclopedia
Sloanea australis, commonly known as the Maiden's Blush is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia
. The range of natural distribution is from near Batemans Bay (35° S) in southern New South Wales
to Cape Tribulation (16° S) in tropical Queensland
. The habitat of Sloanea australis is various types of rainforest; such as littoral
, warm temperate, montane rainforest, sub tropical, and tropical rainforests. Often growing in particularly moist areas, such as next to streams.
The common name refers to the "blushing" pink colour of the heartwood, resembling a maiden's blush. This common name is also suited to the colour of the new leaves. Other common names include the Blush Alder, Blush Carrabeen, Blush Carrobean and Cudgerie. Sloanea australis has bright pink new leaves which make identification easy. The irregular, crooked leaning trunk is also characteristic.
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Leaves alternate with wavy margins, toothed and obovate, 7 to 30 cm long, some with a shortly blunted tip. Leaf stalks are 6 to 25 mm long, with a bend at the junction of the leaf blade. Venation is prominent on both sides of the leaf.
Cream flowers form from October to November, in singles or on short raceme
s. A woody capsule matures from February to June, 15 to 20 mm long. Inside is a fleshy orange aril
, surrounding the three to five glossy black seeds. Fruit is eaten by a variety of rainforest birds including the Paradise Riflebird
.
Germination from fresh seeds is not particularly difficult, woody branches and cuttings also strike well.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The range of natural distribution is from near Batemans Bay (35° S) in southern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to Cape Tribulation (16° S) in tropical Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. The habitat of Sloanea australis is various types of rainforest; such as littoral
Littoral
The littoral zone is that part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to...
, warm temperate, montane rainforest, sub tropical, and tropical rainforests. Often growing in particularly moist areas, such as next to streams.
The common name refers to the "blushing" pink colour of the heartwood, resembling a maiden's blush. This common name is also suited to the colour of the new leaves. Other common names include the Blush Alder, Blush Carrabeen, Blush Carrobean and Cudgerie. Sloanea australis has bright pink new leaves which make identification easy. The irregular, crooked leaning trunk is also characteristic.
Description
A medium to large tree, up to 30 metres tall with a stem diameter of 60 cm with grey-brown bark. The trunk is buttressed, crooked, flanged and irregular with smaller branchlets coming from the main trunk. A.G. Floyd mentions a 55 metre tall individual at Border Ranges National ParkBorder Ranges National Park
Border Ranges National Park, 150 km south of Brisbane, Australia, is in northern New South Wales with a small portion located in Queensland....
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Leaves alternate with wavy margins, toothed and obovate, 7 to 30 cm long, some with a shortly blunted tip. Leaf stalks are 6 to 25 mm long, with a bend at the junction of the leaf blade. Venation is prominent on both sides of the leaf.
Cream flowers form from October to November, in singles or on short raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s. A woody capsule matures from February to June, 15 to 20 mm long. Inside is a fleshy orange aril
Aril
An aril is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to any appendage or thickening of the seed coat in flowering plants, such as the edible parts of the mangosteen and pomegranate fruit, the mace of the nutmeg seed, or the...
, surrounding the three to five glossy black seeds. Fruit is eaten by a variety of rainforest birds including the Paradise Riflebird
Paradise Riflebird
The Paradise Riflebird, Ptiloris paradiseus, is a medium-sized, up to 30 cm long, passerine bird of the Paradisaeidae family. The male is black with an iridescent greenish blue crown, throat and central tail feathers. It has a black curved bill, black feet, dark brown iris and yellow mouth...
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Germination from fresh seeds is not particularly difficult, woody branches and cuttings also strike well.