White currant
Flueggea virosa subsp. melanthesoides, Fam. Euphorbiaceae
A small, spreading shrub, 1-4m high, often deciduous in the dry season. Flueggea virosa is found in tropical Africa, Asia and Malesia while the subspecies is found in New Guinea and Australia.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Shrub |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Leaf: | Oval, pointed tip, thin textured, light green above, paler beneath, raised veins beneath, 3.5-8.5 x 2.5-5.5cm. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Cream, Green |
| Flower description: | Cream green flowers, 0.4cm in diameter, borne in clusters along the length of the stems. Separate male and female plants. October to February. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
White |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | White, fleshy, rounded berries, 0.5-0.8cm in diameter, borne in clusters along the stems. |
| Habitat: | Woodland. |
| Distribution | Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New Guinea. |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia, New Guinea. |
| Notes: | Edible fruit. Propagate from seed. |
| Information sources: | Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (2022) Flueggea virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) Royle. Plants of the World Online., Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (2022) Flueggea virosa subsp. melanthesoides (F.Muell.) G.L.Webster. Plants of the World Online., Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. |
