The Blush Condoo is a large rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 tree of the Sapotaceae

Sapotaceae

Sapotaceae is a family of flowering plants, belonging to order Ericales. The family includes approximately 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in approximately 65 genera . Distribution is pantropical....

 family native to eastern Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It's found in sea side rainforest as well as the drier inland rainforests. From as far south as the Richmond River, New South Wales to Coen

Coen

Coen may refer to:"Coen" - is a Germanic variant of the name "Conrad", most popular in the Dutch language. It is originally spelled as "Coenraad" or "Koenraad", with just the "raad" deleted off. Both variations are made up from two words: "koen" and "raad" ...

 in tropical Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, and as far west as Melville Island, Northern Territory

Melville Island, Northern Territory

Melville Island or Yermalner Island lies in the eastern Timor Sea, off the coast of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is west of the Cobourg Peninsula in Arnhem Land and north of Darwin....

.

Naming and taxonomy

The Blush Condoo has undergone several scientific name changes. Some taxonomists consider it to belong in the wastebasket genus Pouteria

Pouteria

Pouteria is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical regions of the world. It includes the Canistel , the Mamey Sapote and the Lúcuma...

, others prefer the genus Planchonella

Planchonella

Planchonella is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. Named in honour of Jules Émile Planchon, it contains around 100 mainly tropical species, two of which reach South America and about 18 make it to Australia. It was described by Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre...

(the latter genus is often sunk into the former). Other scientific names of this plant include Sersalisia laurifolia, Beccariella queenslandica, Pouteria queenslandica, and Sideroxylon richardii. Until fairly recently it was known as Planchonella laurifolia, now recognised as an invalid name.

Description

The Blush Condoo is an impressive rainforest tree up to 40 metres (130 ft) tall, with a stem diameter of 90 cm (36 in). The crown of the tree is bright green, with leaves crowded towards the end of the branches.

The bark is fairly smooth on younger trees, but becomes scaly and rougher on larger trees. Small rows of vertical lenticel

Lenticel

A lenticel is an airy aggregation of cells within the structural surfaces of the stems, roots, and other parts of vascular plants. It functions as a pore, providing a medium for the direct exchange of gasses between the internal tissues and atmosphere, thereby bypassing the periderm, which would...

s may appear on the trunks of younger trees. Older bark tends to fall off in irregular scales. Small branches are fairly thick and smooth, with a fawny down on the new leaf buds. When cut, a white milky sap may be seen.

Leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, without serrated edges. They are oval elliptic or oblong elliptic in shape, 9 to 20 cm (3.6–8 in) long, and 3 to 6 cm (1.2-2.4 in) wide. Shiny green above, more yellow-green underneath, the leaves are somewhat leathery to touch. The leaf stalk is between 8 and 25 mm long. Leaf veins not easily seen on the top surface, but more clear underneath. Six to sixteen lateral veins appear from the mid rib.

Flowers and fruit

The caramel scented flowers appear in clusters in the leaf axils from the months of May to November. The hairy green or cream flowers are about 6 mm long with five petals. The fruit is a black berry, 2 cm long. Inside the flesh is one or two brown shining seeds. Narrow and oval, around 12 mm long. The seed has a scar on the side, over half the length of the seed. The fruit ripens from August to December. It's eaten by various rainforest inhabitants, including the Topknot Pigeon

Topknot Pigeon

The Topknot Pigeon is a pigeon native to Australia. It is also known by the name of "Flock Pigeon".-Description:...

 and the Wompoo Fruit-Dove

Wompoo Fruit-Dove

The Wompoo Fruit Dove , also known as Wompoo Pigeon, is the largest of Fruit Doves native to New Guinea and Australia.-Description:...

. Fresh seed is advised for regeneration.