Rose butternut is a large rainforest tree from north Queensland, native to the Cape York region, known for its rosy new growth and decorative timber. It is a rainforest canopy species that is hard to reproduce in typical home gardens, so cultivation notes here are general.
Family
Anacardiaceae (Cashew family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Part shade, Bright indirect
Water
Keep soil evenly moist while young, watering regularly in dry spells.
Soil
Rich, well-drained loam or humus-rich soil.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 5 °C
How easy
Hard
Safety
Toxic: Resin and other parts can cause dermatitis, conjunctivitis and headaches, and sensitisation can increase with repeated contact.
Native range
N. Queensland
Climate
wet tropical
About
Blepharocarya involucrigera is a tree in the mango and cashew family Anacardiaceae. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia. Common names include north Queensland bollygum, northern bollygum and rose butternut.
Safety
As with many other plants in the Anacardiaceae family, contact with the resin or other parts of the tree can cause severe allergic reactions including dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and headaches. Individuals may become increasingly sensitised to contact with any part of the tree.
Where it grows
This species grows in rainforest, monsoon forest and vine thickets from the Torres Strait islands and Cape York Peninsula south to the Atherton Tableland and the adjacent coastal areas, and from sea level to 800 m (2,600 ft).
Uses
The tree produces a decorative timber that has been used for cabinetmaking, flooring and cooperage. Fruits are eaten by double-eyed fig parrots and king parrots
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Blepharocarya involucrigera by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.