Iron malletwood
Rhodamnia sessiliflora
Family: Myrtaceae
What it is like
A small tree to 8 m tall. It has a bushy habit. The young shoots have many pale hairs. The leaves are oval or rounded and 12-20 cm long by 5.5 cm across. They have 3 prominent veins. They are dark green on the upper surface and with woolly hairs underneath. The flowers occur in clusters. They are small and white to pink. They are hairy and without stalks. They grow in the axils of leaves. The fruit are berries which are black and round. They are about 0.5-1 cm across. They are covered with very small fine hairs. They contain 14-40 seeds. The seeds are 3.5 mm long by 3 mm across. The flesh of the fruit is edible.
Where it is found
It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It grows in the rainforest. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 1200 m altitude.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin), Pacific, Papua New Guinea
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed which must be planted fresh.
In Australia, they flower from August to September and fruit from December to January (December to June).