Native Australian tree; Blue Quandong;

Elaecarpus angustifolius;

I went for a walk with my dog Billy and saw on my way back that in my next door neighbour's garden the Quandong was flowering. This is a spectacular tree, huge, this is a young tree 20 years old and the branches are already over 10 m long. Inside, along the branches are these amazing creamy white bell like flowers. Please click the pictures to enlarge.

Birds enjoy the nectar of the flowers. Here a blue faced honeyeater 'Entomyzon cyanotis' and a Rainbow Lorikeet 'Trichoglossus haematodus'its red breast feathers competing with the the odd red leaf, which is a particularity of this tree.

The whole tree is chock-a-block full of flowers.

The ripe blue berries of the Quandong.


Blue Quandong , species Elaeocarpus angustifolius (syn. E. grandis), also known as Brush (or Silver) Quandong, Blue Fig and Coolan.[1] This belongs to a different genus and is usually categorised with the others due to the similarity of the seed in the fruit. However unlike the Desert Quandong, this is a sour fruit, having a texture and aftertaste somewhat resembling an olive. The fruit is only ripe for a matter of hours between the sour under-ripe fruit to the mealy, crumbly and tasteless over-ripe condition. Blue Quandongs are eaten whole by cassowaries, Woompoo pigeon and Spectacled flying foxes, which pass the nut undamaged.[2] It is commonly thought that the seeds may be unable to germinate unless they pass through the animal's intestines. Wikipedia

There is another Quandong tree, Santalum acuminatum, desert or sweet quandong, or native peach. The species is one widely used by early Australians. This tree produces a valuable bushfood.

Thank you for your visit and have a nice day.