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Elaeocarpus cyaneus

Common name:	Blueberry Ash	Family:	Elaeocarpaceae
Author:	Sims.	Botanical references:	154, 200
Synonyms:	Elaeocarpus reticulatus (Sm.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat:	Forest gullies and wooded ranges[154], usually near the coast[167].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cyaneus = blue colored
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Malvales. Elaeocarpus family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 12m by 12m . It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Secondary, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Fruit[144]. The dark blue fruit is 8 - 10mm in diameter[265]. No more details.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - close grained, fairly hard. Used for cabinet making, joinery etc[154].

Cultivation details

Prefers a fertile humus-rich well-drained soil[200]. Other reports say that it requires a moist lime-free soil[167, 182]. Succeeds in full sun or partial shade[188].
This species is hardy to at least -7° c in Australian gardens[157], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. This species is said to succeed outdoors in our mildest gardens[182], especially if given a sheltered position such as a south or south-west facing wall[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse[200]. Seed can be very slow to germinate, sometimes taking 2 years or more[157]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of almost ripe shoots, August/September in a sandy soil in a frame. The leaves should be left on the stem.[1, 200]

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Elaeocarpus reticulatus (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Elaeocarpaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.

[154] Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.

[157] Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.

[167] Holliday. I. and Hill. R. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller Ltd. 1974 ISBN 0-85179-627-3
A well illustrated and very readable book, but it does not contain much information for the plant project.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[265] Carolin. R. & Tindale. M. Flora of the Sydney Region Reed. Australia. 1993 ISBN 0730104001
Concise flora with little beyond an extensive key, species descriptions, very brief habitat description.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Elaeocarpus+cyaneus
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