Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa
Benth.
Finger cherry
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) ryanthughes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) djwitherall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) ryanthughes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaRhodomyrtus macrocarpa, commonly known as finger cherry, Cooktown loquat, or wannakai, is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae native to New Guinea, the Aru Islands, and the Australian state of Queensland. Eating the fruits is reputed to cause blindness.
Description
It is a shrub or small tree. It grows to 8 m tall. The bark is brown and papery. The young shoots are covered with grey hairs. The leaves are oblong and 20 cm long by 5 cm wide. They are dull green on the upper surface and paler underneath. The flowers are white or pink. They are about 2.5 cm across. The stamens are easy to see. The flowers occur in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit are long and red when ripe. They are 3.5 cm long.
Edible Uses
The fruit may be edible in small amounts.
Traditional Uses
CAUTION: The fruit are known to produce blindness when eaten in large amounts. Fruit may be edible in small amounts.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Known Hazards
While it is known that the fruit of this species were eaten by Indigenous Australians without ill-effect, there has been a number of well documented incidents involving European settlers eating the fruit which resulted in them becoming permanently blind. The cases usually involved children, and the ingestion of large numbers of fruit. It has been suggested that unripe fruit or a fungal infection in the fruit may be involved, but as of November 2024 no pathogen or constituent compound of the fruit has been identified as being responsible for the loss of sight, and the cause remains a mystery.
Distribution
A tropical and subtropical plant. It grows naturally in the rainforest. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 800 m altitude.
Where It Grows
Asia, Australia*, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from fresh seed.
Production
In Australia, flowering occurs from January to June and fruit is ripe from September to October.
Notes
There are about 20 Rhodomyrtus species. They grow in the tropics.
Also Known As
Mumu, Pohon ceri jari
References (12)
- Cooper W & Cooper W T, 1994, Fruits of the Rain Forest. RD Press p 244
- Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 354
- Cribb, A.B. & J.W., 1976, Wild Food in Australia, Fontana. p 53
- Fell, D.G. & Stanton, D.J., 2015: The vegetation and flora of Mabuyag, Torres Strait, Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Culture 8(1):1-33. Brisbane. ISSN 1440-4788.
- Fl. austral. 3:273. 1867
Show all 12 references Hide references
- Isaacs, J., 1987, Bush Food, Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine. Weldons. p 63
- Jackes, B.R., 2001, Plants of the Tropics. Rainforest to Heath. An Identification Guide. James Cook University. p 69
- Jones D, L, 1986, Ornamental Rainforest Plants in Australia, Reed Books, p 73
- Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 204
- Nicholson, N & H., 1994, Australian Rainforest Plants 4, Terania Rainforest Publishing. NSW. p 59
- Plants of Papua New Guinea LAE herbarium record
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 490
