Terminalia cunninghamii C.A.Gardner

Species

Angiosperms > Myrtales > Combretaceae > Terminalia

Characteristics

Tree to 8 m high, deciduous. Branchlets glabrous or appressed pubescent. Leaves crowded; lamina oblong or obovate, 3–12 cm long, 1–5 cm wide, usually 2–4 times as long as wide, attenuate at base, obtuse or retuse at apex, coriaceous, concolorous, glabrous; domatia conspicuous; petiole 2–15 mm long. Spike open, c. same length as leaves. Flowers 3–8 mm long, c. 4 mm diam. Staminal filaments c. 4 mm long. Disc villous. Style villous. Mature fruit globular or ovoid, with a short beak, to c. 4 cm long, c. 3.5 cm diam., succulent, smooth, dark maroon; immature fruit not seen. [The above description from the Flora of Australia Volume 18 treatment by Pedley (1990) may require revision to exclude any elements of Terminalia kumpaja which was described as a new species by Barrett (2015) to accommodate the disjunct southern populations of Terminalia cunninghamii which are morphologically distinct-Editor, 2 September 2021.]
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A small tree which loses its leaves. It grows up to 6-8 m tall. The bark is light grey to brown and corky with cracks along its length. The small branches are thickened at the nodes where the leaves join. The leaves are light dull green. They are arranged in spirals and crowded together on short thick small branches. The leaf blade is leathery and of one colour. Leaves are sword shaped and blunt at the tip. They taper towards the base. They are 2.5-10 cm long by 1-4.5 cm wide. The flowers are small and white. They are gathered into spikes. The spikes can be 8 cm long. The fruit are large and tinged deep red-brown. They become bluish black when mature. They are oval to round with a distinct short beak. They can be 4 cm long by 3.5 cm wide. They are smooth and juicy. Inside there is a thick walled woody shell with a large kernel inside it. The shell can be 2-3 cm across. The kernel is edible.
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Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 7.0 - 8.0
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Environment

It is a tropical plant. It occurs in northwest Western Australia in Australia. It is mostly on coastal plains. It is mostly on sandy soils.
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Reported to occur on flat sandy areas.
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Usage

The seed kernel is eaten raw.
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Edible nuts seeds
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Terminalia cunninghamii world distribution map, present in Australia

Conservation status

Terminalia cunninghamii threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:171069-1
WFO ID wfo-0000408746
COL ID 55G53
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Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Terminalia cunninghamii