''Elattostachys nervosa'', known as the green tamarind or beetroot tree is a common rainforest tree of eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Found in all types of rainforest, growing from

Paterson, New South Wales Paterson is a small township in the lower Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Located within Dungog Shire, it is situated on the Paterson River. It is in the middle of what was once dairy, timber and citrus country and is now more signi ...

(32° S) in the south to Gympie (27° S) in south east Queensland. The name ''Elattostachys'' refers to "little spikes", a flower feature of other plants in this genus. ''Nervosa'' refers to the prominent leaf venation. ''Beetroot Tree'' refers to the beetroot red leaves of the new growth.

Description

A medium-sized tree, up to 30 metres tall and a stem diameter of 50 cm. Usually seen much smaller. The trunk is flanged or buttressed in larger trees. Relatively smooth bark, paper thin, grey. Though with vertical lines and stripes in certain broader tree trunks. Small branches thick, greyish brown with rusty hairs towards the end. Shoots with dense woolly hairs.

Leaves

Leaves pinnate and alternate on the stem. Leaflet stalks 5 to 12 mm long. Leaflets 8 to 16 cm long, 2 to 4 cm wide. Though new growth can see leaflets red in colour and 28 cm long. Leaflets sometimes notched, other times entire. Leaflets sickle-shaped or lanceolate, with a fine or blunt tip. Leaf veins are evident on both sides of the leaf, net veins better seen under the leaf. Lateral veins 15 to 25 in number, raised on both sides.

Flowers

Flowers with very small yellow/brown petals form on

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s in the months of March to May. Occasionally flowering between September and November.

Fruit and regeneration

The fruit is a reddish pink woody capsule with three cells. Warty and uneven in appearance, 12 to 18 mm in diameter. Inside the cell is a pink interior, with a black or dark brown glossy seed. Around the seed is red

aril An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...

, making the fruit attractive to birds. Fruit are often seedless, showing an unusual parthenocarpic formation. Regeneration from fresh seed is swift, with around half of the seeds germinating in the first two weeks.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5353618 Sapindaceae Sapindales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller