''Terminalia canescens'', commonly known as joolal, winged nut tree, or wingnut, and also known by its Aboriginal name djilanydjin in north-western Australia, is a tree of the family ''

Combretaceae The Combretaceae, often called the white mangrove family, are a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 530 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in ca 10 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, ''Combre ...

'' native to northern parts of Australia.

Description

The small tree or shrub typically grows to a height of in height and is

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

or semi-deciduous. It blooms between July and January producing white-cream-green flowers. The species is very similar to ''

Terminalia bursarina ''Terminalia bursarina'', commonly known as bendee, is a tree of the family ''Combretaceae'' native to northern parts of Australia. The erect and straggly tree typically grows to a height of in height and has deeply fissured bark. It blooms bet ...

'' but has larger leaves and fruits. The bark is grey to brown in colour and sheds in coarse flakes. Leaf blades are narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate in shape with length of and a width of . The inflorescences are long producing dry winged fruit with a flattened, elliptic to obovate shape and a length of . It is found in a variety of habitats over

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

in the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region of Western Australia and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

growing in sandy-stony soils.

Uses

The leaves, bark and stems of this plant are used in Australian native tea known as "Jilungin tea". This tea is promoted as aiding relaxation and sleep. The tea is said to have a mild, earthy flavour and aroma, similar to

green tea Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since the ...

or grass. This tea is used by the Indigenous

Nyul Nyul people The Nyulnyul, also spelt Nyul Nyul, Njolnjol, Nyolnyol and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Country According to Norman Tindale, the Nyulnyul held sway over some of tribal la ...

of the

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

to promote deep sleep, and as a digestive tonic to provide energy during the day. A 2017 report by the Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food, showed

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

levels similar to or exceeding those of green tea in a sample of ''Terminalia canescens'' prepared as Jilungun Tea.

Cultivation

A project is under way to cultivate the tree alongside orchards of

gubinge ''Terminalia ferdinandiana'', most commonly known as the Kakadu plum and also called the gubinge, billygoat plum, green plum, salty plum, murunga, mador and other names, is a flowering plant in the family Combretaceae, native to Australia, wide ...

(''Terminalia ferdinandiana'', aka Kakadu plum) in the Broome area.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17583077 Trees of Australia Flora of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Plants described in 1888 canescens