Canarium australianum var. glabrum

F.Muell., Leenh.

Melville Island White Beech

Burseraceae Edible: Seeds kernel, Nuts 344 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Canarium australianum, commonly known as scrub turpentine, is a species of tree in the family Burseraceae native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Other common names include mango bark, carrot wood, parsnip wood, Melville Island white beech and brown cudgerie.

Description

A deciduous tree. It loses its leaves in the dry season. It grows to 12-25 m high and spreads to 3 m wide. The stems are erect and branching. They branches have leaf scars on them. The bark is smooth and slightly scaly. It is cream-grey. The leaves are compound and alternate. The whole leaf is 30 cm long. There are 4-7 pairs of oval leaflets and a leaflet at the end. These are 7-16 cm long by 4-7 cm wide. Leaves are dark green and smooth on top and paler and sometimes slightly hairy underneath. The veins are distinct. The edges of the leaves are finely toothed on younger leaves. The leaf stalk is 5-15 cm long. Trees are separately male and female. The flowers are like tubes and occur in clusters in the axils of leaves near the ends of branches. The flowers are small and creamy white and 0.3-0.7 cm long. The flower cluster may be 25 cm long. Male clusters are larger and more open than female clusters. The fruit are oval fleshy fruit with a hard stone inside. They are 2.5 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. They are blue-black when ripe. Inside there is a hard brown one seeded nut. The seed is 1.5 cm long.

Edible Uses

The seeds and nuts are eaten, particularly by children. The ripe fruit is eaten after roasting.

Traditional Uses

The seeds are eaten. The ripe fruit is eaten after cooking (roasting). The seeds are eaten especially by children.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows on light to medium, well drained soils. It prefers an open sunny position. It is drought and frost tender. It is most common in open forest and near the sea on sand dunes.

Where It Grows

Australia*, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. Seeds do not all germinate at the same time. This can be improved by filing to break the hard seed coat. Trees can be propagated by aerial layering. Grafting may also be possible.

Production

Young trees grow rapidly. In Australia trees flower September to December and fruit April to October. Flowering and fruiting time varies with location.

Other Information

The seeds are eaten especially by children.

Notes

There are 80-95 Canarium species.

Also Known As

Marirrma, Styptic Tree

References (18)

Barwick, M., 2004, Tropical and Subtropical Trees. A Worldwide Encyclopedic Guide. Thames and Hudson p 89
Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 210
Brock, J., 1993, Native Plants of Northern Australia, Reed. p 112
Cherikoff V. & Isaacs, J., The Bush Food Handbook. How to gather, grow, process and cook Australian Wild Foods. Ti Tree Press, Australia p 198
Elliot, W.R., & Jones, D.L., 1982, Encyclopedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. Vol 2. Lothian. p 456

Show all 18 references

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Jones D, L, 1986, Ornamental Rainforest Plants in Australia, Reed Books, p 203
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Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 46
Levitt, D., 1981, Plants and people. Aboriginal uses of plants on Groote Eylandt, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. p 85
Paczkowska, G. & Chapman, A.R., 2000, The Western Australian Flora. A Descriptive Catalogue. Western Australian Herbarium. p 189
Smith, N and Wightman, G.M., 1990, Ethnobotanical Notes from Belyuen Northern Territory Australia. Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin No 10. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory. p 7, 8
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Vigilante, T., et al, 2013, Island country: Aboriginal connections, values and knowledge of the Western Kimberley islands in the context of an island biological survey. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 145-182
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