blue plum Lord Howe Island fringetree | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Oleaceae |
Genus: | Chionanthus |
Species: | C. quadristamineus
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Binomial name | |
Chionanthus quadristamineus | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Chionanthus quadristamineus, commonly known as the blue plum, is a flowering plant in the olive family. The specific epithet refers to the four stamens in the flowers.[1]
Chionanthus quadristamineus is a pale-barked, evergreen tree, growing to 15 m in height. The leathery, broadly elliptic to narrowly obovate leaves are 5–12 cm long and 3–6 cm wide. The small green flowers are 5 mm in diameter. The egg-shaped fruits are 5–6 cm long and dark blue when ripe. The flowering season is from November to May.[1][3][4]
Chionanthus quadristamineus is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It is common in forest from sea-level to elevations of about 400 m in the southern mountains of the island.[1]