''Aceratium ferrugineum'' is a species of medium-sized trees, commonly known as rusty carabeen, constituting part of the plant family

Elaeocarpaceae Elaeaocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family contains approximately 615 species of trees and shrubs in 12 genera."Elaeocarpaceae" In: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol. VI. Springer-Verlag: Be ...

. They are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the Wet Tropics rainforests of northeastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. Within the Wet Tropics region rusty carabeen trees grow only in the restricted areas of luxuriant, mature, mountain rainforest on the

Mount Carbine Tableland The Mount Carbine Tableland is a plateau in Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range, it lies in the Shire of Mareeba 15 km west of Mossman, and 1,460 km north-west of Brisbane, reaching an altitude of 1,38 ...

between Black Mountain and Mt Spurgeon, and on Mt Lewis. There they grow on soils built from

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

parent material Parent material is the underlying geological material (generally bedrock or a superficial or drift deposit) in which soil horizons form. Soils typically inherit a great deal of structure and minerals from their parent material, and, as such, are ...

Description

Mature trees have fluted trunks and grow to tall. The leaves occur opposite each other, when new have dense rusty hairs all over them which persist on the underside and the top midrib, and measure . Near the ends of new growing branches grow racemes of pink flowers, each approximately long. They produce bunches of yellow–orange–red, oval shaped fruits measuring . Their fibrous ripe flesh smells like ripe watermelon. Although not yet well known, the trees have some popularity in cultivation, for example in Brisbane.

References

Elaeocarpaceae Flora of Queensland {{Australia-rosid-stub