Northern Qandong, White Quandong
Elaeocarpus foveolatus
Family: Elaeocarpaceae
What it is like
A medium sized tree. It grows up to 15- 25 m tall and spreads 5-12 m wide. The bark is dark brown. The young shoots have silky hairs. The leaves are simple and sword shaped. They are 3-14 cm long and 1-4.5 cm wide. They are hairy underneath. The leaves have teeth along the edge. The flower group are 3-5 cm long and in the axils of the upper leaves. The flowers are 1.2 cm across. They are white and cup-shaped. The fruit is 16 mm long by 1.3 mm wide. They occur singly or in bunches in the axils of leaves. The green flesh is sticky. There is one seed inside. This is 14 mm long by 10 mm wide. The flesh of the fruit is edible.
There are about 360 Elaeocarpus species mostly in the tropics.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It is native to NE Australia. It suits tropical and subtropical climates. It grows naturally in rainforest in Queensland in Australia. It grows between sea level and 1200 m altitude. It needs well drained soils.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seed. Seed do not grow easily. Cracking the seed coat or fermenting the seeds helps.