Diospyros pentamera
{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{hatnote|"Grey plum" redirects here. This name may also be used for Diospyros australis, its southern relative.}}
{{speciesbox
|image = Diospyros pentamera http mediaphoto.mnhn.fr media 14455314343677y2zdOfeVixjiXTM.jpg
|image_caption = Type specimen of Diospyros pentamera (P00721821){{Cite web|title=P00721821 (Held at MNHN)|url=https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/437996793|access-date=2020-06-09|website=www.gbif.org|language=en}}
|genus = Diospyros
|species = pentamera
|authority = (Woolls & F.Muell.) F.Muell.
|synonyms =Cargillia arborea A.Cunn. ex Hiern
Cargillia pentamera Woolls & F.Muell.
Maba pentamera (Woolls & F.Muell.) F.Muell.
}}
Diospyros pentamera is a common rainforest tree in the Ebony or Persimmon family (Ebenaceae) growing from near Batemans Bay (36° S) in New South Wales to the Atherton Tableland (17° S) in tropical Queensland, Australia. It is commonly known as the myrtle ebony, black myrtle, grey plum or grey persimmon.
Description
Diospyros pentamera is a small to large rainforest tree, from 6 to 40 metres in height at maturity, and 60 centimetres in width at the base. It grows in various types of rainforests, but grows best in volcanic soils in fire free areas with high rainfall.
The leaves are 5 to 9 centimetres long, not toothed. Fragrant white flowers form in spring. The mid-sized edible berry matures around December to February and is eaten by many rainforest birds, including Brown Cuckoo Dove, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Rose-crowned Fruit Dove, Topknot Pigeon, Currawong, Regent Bowerbird and Australasian Figbird. Germination of fresh seed is quick, but occasionally unreliable. This tree is easily identified in the rainforest by the dark rough bark, which resembles the bark of Ironbark trees.
Image:Diospyros pentamera Budderoo National Park.JPG|Diospyros pentamera growing by the Minnamurra River, Budderoo National Park, Australia
Image:Diospyros pentamera bark royal national park.JPG|Diospyros pentamera growing by the Hacking River, Royal National Park, Australia
Image:Diospyros pentamera Allyn River.JPG|Diospyros pentamera growing by the Allyn River, Barrington Tops, Australia
Image:Myrtle Ebony - yatte yattah.jpg|Myrtle ebony at Yatteyattah Nature Reserve, near Milton, New South Wales
References
{{Reflist|31em|refs=
{{cite web |author1=F.A.Zich |author2=B.P.M.Hyland |author3=T.Whiffen |author4=R.A.Kerrigan |author2-link=Bernard Hyland |year=2020 |access-date=27 May 2021 |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/Diospyros_pentamera.htm |title=Diospyros pentamera |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government}}
{{Cite book | last1= Floyd | first1= A. G. | year= 1989 | title= Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia | publisher= Inkata Press | isbn= 0-909605-57-2 }}
}}
External links
- [http://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Diospyros+pentamera#tab_mapView Diospyros pentamera Occurrence data from The Australasian Virtual Herbarium ]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q5279624}}
Category:Flora of New South Wales