Blueberry ash

Elaeocarpus reticulatus

''Elaeocarpus reticulatus'', the blueberry ash, is a large shrub or tree which can grow to a height of 15 metres. In New South Wales rainforests it can attain a height of 30 metres. Its most conspicuous features are white or pink cup-shaped flowers with fringed edges and round blue fruits. Strictly botanically, the fruits are not true berries but drupes. Blueberry ash also has leaves which turn bright red as they get older.

This is a hardy plant, and grows natively in eastern Australia under many conditions. It is descended from rainforest-like environments where it still grows in southeastern Queensland and eastern NSW but has shifted its range to include the drier climate of south-eastern Australia . In New South Wales it grows in moist areas such as gullies and around watercourses as well as in tall ''Eucalyptus'' forests and sandy coastal scrub.
Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderOxalidales
FamilyElaeocarpaceae
GenusElaeocarpus
SpeciesE. reticulatus
Photographed in
Australia