Common name: Blue Marble Tree, Blue Quandong, Bracelet Tree, Blue Fig
Botanical name: Elaeocarpus grandis Family: Elaeocarpaceae (Rudraksh family)
Blue Marble Tree is a fast growing, large, spreading, distinctive,
rainforest tree, growing to 35 m tall. It is native to Australia.
Alternately arranged oblong-elliptical leaves, 10-18 cm long, have
shallow, toothed margins. Leaves are dark green above. Flowers are
greenish or white, bell-shaped, with 5 fringed petals, in numerous racemes
borne along branches from leaf scars.
The white flowers in summer are followed by metallic blue fruits 3 cm
diameter, which contain a hard pitted centre. Fruit stones were used by
native Australians for necklaces. The natives were known to make up an
edible paste of the ripe fruit by squashing them into a bark trough filled
with water.
Identification credit: Shanker Rao
| Photographed in I.I.Sc. Campus, Bangalore. |
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