Rhodomyrtus 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.
| Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Fruiting in Cairns, August 2021 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Genus: | Rhodomyrtus |
| Species: | R. macrocarpa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa | |
Description
editRhodomyrtus macrocarpa is a shrub or small tree growing to about 8 m (26 ft) tall with rough pale brown bark. The growing tips are covered in fine pale grey hairs. The leaves are elliptic, hairless and simple (i.e. not divided) and arranged in opposite pairs. They measure up to 25 cm (9.8 in) long by 11 cm (4.3 in) wide and are held on petioles about 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) long.[4][5][6][7]
Flowers are produced in the upper leaf axils in clusters of 1–3; they are white or pink and about 2.5 cm (1 in) across, with numerous stamens. The fruit is a pink or red cylindrical botanical berry up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and 2.5 cm (1 in) wide, containing from one to several flattened, pale brown seeds about 10 mm (0.4 in) diameter.[4][5][6][7]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first described by the English botanist George Bentham in 1866, based on material collected from Albany Island at the tip of Cape York Peninsula, and from Rockingham Bay. The description was published in volume 3 of Flora Australiensis.[3][6]
Conservation
editAs of November 2024[update], this species has been assessed to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and by the Queensland Government under its Nature Conservation Act.[1][8] The IUCN's report states that the species has a large range no specific threats have been identified, although habitat loss due to urbanisation in Australia is a minor concern.
Cultivation
editThe plant produces showy flowers and colourful fruit, which would normally earmark it for cultivation as an ornamental, however, this is discouraged due to the potential toxicity of the fruit.[4][5]
Toxicity
editWhile 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[update] 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.[4][9][10][11]
Gallery
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Habit -
Foliage -
Growing tip and immature fruit -
Ripening fruit -
Trunk
References
edit- ^ a b Jimbo, T. (2022). "Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T198691681A202837484. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T198691681A202837484.en. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ "Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa Benth". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ a b c Jones, David L. (1986). Rainforest Plants of Australia. Bowgowlah, NSW, Australia: Reed Books. p. 73. ISBN 0-7301-0381-1.
- ^ a b c Bentham, George; Mueller, Ferdinand von (1866). Flora australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian territory. London: L. Reeve and co. p. 273. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ a b Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 354. ISBN 978-0-9581742-1-3.
- ^ "Species profile—Rhodomyrtus macrocarpa". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Questions & Answers" (PDF), Tropical Topics, no. 72, Wet Tropics Management Authority, Queensland Government, p. 6, 2002
- ^ Low, Tim (1998). Wild Food Plants of Australia. Sydney: Angus & Robertson Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 0-207-16930-6.
- ^ Beasley, John (2009). Plants of Cape York - the compact guide. John Beasley. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-9806863-0-2.
External links
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- View a map of herbarium records of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- See images of this species on Flickriver.com