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Elaeocarpus bancroftii
Also called Johnstone River almond, Ebony heart, Greynut, Nut Tree
Elaeocarpus bancroftii, commonly known as Kuranda quandong, Johnstone River almond, ebony heart, grey nut, or nut tree is a large rainforest tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae which is endemic to Queensland, Australia. It has coriaceous (thick but flexible) leaves, attractive white flowers and relatively large fruit containing an edible kernel.
Elaeocarpus bancroftii is considered to have good horticultural potential, particularly for parks and larger areas, because of the attractive foliage, showy flowers and interesting fruit. In the city of Cairns in far north Queensland, six of these trees have been planted in the streets. It can be purchased from many plant nurseries and native plant specialists in Australia.
This species is endemic to north-eastern Queensland, where it is widespread and grows in well-developed rainforest. Its range is from near Cooktown southwards to about Tully, and at elevations from near sea level to around 1,200 m (3,900 ft). It is found in most parts of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area.
Indigenous Australians ate the seeds, although the very hard shell required them to use stones to crack them open. These special "nut stones", which had a groove or hollow in which the nut was placed, along with the accompanying "hammer stones", have been found throughout Queensland as forests were cleared during the expansion of European settlement.
Elaeocarpus achmadii · Elaeocarpus acmosepalus · Elaeocarpus amoenus · Blue Quandong · Elaeocarpus arnhemicus · Kalia · Rudrakhsa Tree · Bois dentelle · Elaeocarpus brigittae · Elaeocarpus calomala · Elaeocarpus carbinensis · Quandong
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Elaeocarpus bancroftii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
