Shrub to small tree with brown vertically fissured bark and a fruit resembling a tiny pumpkin.
Weed Category:
Weed:
No
Form or habit:
Shrub, Small tree
Family:
Euphorbiaceae
Leaf:
Simple, alternate, entire, ovate to elliptic, 2-10cm long, pseudo-pinnate. Dull to glossy green above and with a blue appearance caused by a waxy surface or whitish bloom that can often be rubbed off. Petioles 3-4mm long.
Flower conspicuous:
Conspicuous
Flower colour:
Yellow, Green
Flower description:
Axillary clusters of yellow green flowers. Male and female flowers separate. May to February.
Fruit conspicuous:
Conspicuous
Fruit colour:
Green, Orange, Yellow
Fruit:
Fruit description:
Capsule, about 8mm in diameter, resembling a tiny pumpkin. Green turning orange yellow. December to May.
Habitat:
Open forest, rainforest.
Distribution
Queensland, New Guinea.
Food source for:
Fruit and seed eaten by the brown cuckoo dove. Larval food plant of the moths Anisodes turneri and Hyalobathra miniosalis.
Toxicity:
No toxicity known
Origin:
Australia, New Guinea.
Notes:
Grow from seed or cuttings.
Information sources:
Melzer R. & Plumb J. (2007) Plants of Capricornia.
