''Syzygium corynanthum,'' commonly known as sour cherry and Killarney satinash, is a common Australian tree which grows in surrounding areas from

Taree, New South Wales Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural dis ...

(31 ° S) to tropical

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 ...

.The habitat of ''Syzygium corynanthum'' is rainforest on

basaltic Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...

or fertile

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. All ...

soils.

Description

''Syzygium corynanthum'' is a medium size tree, which can reach 30 metres in height and a 90 cm in trunk diameter. The tree's crown appears dark and full. The bark is grey and scaly, with numerous depressions caused by the shedding of bark scales. ''Syzygium corynanthum'' are slightly buttressed at the base.

Leaves, flowers and fruit

The leaves are opposite, simple and entire with numerous oil dots, about five diameters apart of different sizes. Leaf stalks are 6mm long. Flowers are in short dense panicles. Petals are cream, four in number and appear from April to July. The fruit matures from September to December, being a red berry, broader towards the tip than at the base. Four persistent calyx lobes surround the base of the fruit, from which the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

usually protrudes. The taste of the fruit is not particularly sour, as the common name might suggest. Seed germination is slow, commencing at 40 days, and being complete after 200 days. Fruit is prone to insect attack. Soaking of the seeds is recommended to drown insect larvae. Fruit are eaten by many rainforest birds, including the

wompoo fruit dove The wompoo fruit dove (''Ptilinopus magnificus''), also known as wompoo pigeon, is one of the larger fruit doves native to New Guinea and eastern Australia. Taxonomy and systematics Subspecies There are generally 7-8 recognised subspecies ...

and

catbird Several unrelated groups of songbirds are called catbirds because of their wailing calls, which resemble a cat's meowing. The genus name ''Ailuroedus'' likewise is from the Greek for "cat-singer" or "cat-voiced". Australasian catbirds are the ...

References

''Syzygium corynanthum'' at NSW Flora Online
Retrieved on 2009-08-04 {{Taxonbar, from=Q7663973 Myrtales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland corynanthum Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller