Elaeocarpus angustifolius - Blue Marble Tree

[Zeeth]

Anyone grow this? There's one at the USF botanical garden that's over 50 feet tall and I think it's a beautiful tree. It looks like the epitome of an emergent rainforest tree to me, and obviously has some cold tolerance, as it seems to thrive in a garden that's on the cold end of 9b. I'm actually pretty surprised that I don't hear more about this tree considering it's beauty, as this is the first time I've ever actually seen one.

[Pedro 65]

Keith, Eleocarpus angusifoliusis ( common name is Blue Quandong) is a very fast growing rainforest tree that likes deep soil and plenty of water, they grow buttress roots early and the canopy is very open so they let plenty of light in for everything around them.

Blue quandong is a great "open" and very fast growing Australian rainforest tree that in the right conditions will be 50 ft in just 5 yrs and eventually well over 100 ft, being a "pioneer" tree they grow best planted in "full sun". I will get some pics of some growing along creeks in our valley but till then heres 1 here in the garden.

Pete

[LJG]

Looks like a tree that needs some room to grow. Not a tree for most SoCal gardens

[Gtlevine]

I may have to plant one.

[Tropicgardener]

As Pete mentioned they are a super fast pioneer tree of subtropical / tropical rainforests of Nth. New South Wales and Queensland....... I used to use these trees extensively for revegetation projects many years ago. The blue fruit combined with the older red leaves makes a great contrast, I love these trees.

[NApalm]

I think I want one too. Are they quicker growers/bigger than E. grandis?

[Zeeth]

Keith, Eleocarpus angusifoliusis ( common name is Blue Quandong) is a very fast growing rainforest tree that likes deep soil and plenty of water, they grow buttress roots early and the canopy is very open so they let plenty of light in for everything around them.

Blue quandong is a great "open" and very fast growing Australian rainforest tree that in the right conditions will be 50 ft in just 5 yrs and eventually well over 100 ft, being a "pioneer" tree they grow best planted in "full sun". I will get some pics of some growing along creeks in our valley but till then heres 1 here in the garden.

Pete

Thanks for your info! I pulled a seedling from under the tree in the garden that I visited today because the leaf form looked similar to the adult plant. Luckily the seed was still attached, so I was able to make a positive ID on the seedling after I googled what the seed looks like, so I'm very happy to be able to grow this now! I'm happy to hear that they're a fast grower!

[Josh-O]

ditto that Gary. Nothing like instant shade for the under-story palms

[Pedro 65]

I think I want one too. Are they quicker growers/bigger than E. grandis?

Stuart, angustifolius and grandis are synonymous.

Keith, all best with your seedling

Gary, plant a few, you have plenty of room.

Pete

[Alicehunter2000]

Elaeocarpus decipiens (Japanese blueberry tree) is a relative I reckon...more cold hardy....however, not that fast.

[Daryl]

I've got three in the garden, and they are super-fast growers. They do drop branches in their early years though. My largest one is about 90ft tall now and I planted it about 15 years ago. In more exposed locations they tend to grow with a rounded crown and not reach for the sky.

[NApalm]

Do you guys have any palms planted underneath? I'm trying to work out if they hog the water (as I suspect) or have invasive root systems.

[Pedro 65]

Stuart, I have some Black palms that are too close to a B quandong and they are still doing ok even on the very deep red soil, they would be doing far better in heavy soil, the pics show how keen the Quandongs buttress roots are.

Pete

[Daryl]

Mine seem to grow under it with no worries...I even have a Bangalow that volunteered in between the buttresses...

[Cindy Adair]

I collected the wonderful strikingly blue (true blue, not purple) fruit at a monastery in Hawaii many years before I'd been to Puerto Rico or planted any palms.

I planted the seed in pots in Virginia and after a year almost discarded them when they finally began to germinate. I think I ended up with a dozen.

One is now a bonsai in training in my greenhouse on Virginia and three are on or near my farm and huge. I have given away the rest.

No fruit yet but stately trees with accents of lovely red leaves and very fast growers!

Thanks for the information and photos !

[NApalm]

Thanks for the info!

[Geoff]

visited a few friends in HAwaii this year and they had a huge one of these trees in their yard with literally dozens of palms and ferns planted beneath it… hard to photograph this tree, but here are a few attempts:

[Eric in Orlando]

I have a small one in the greenhouse to try here, it will get planted in spring.

Elaeocarpus decipiens grows great here and is occasionally seen in local landscapes. We also have a E. grandiflorus that is growing nicely.

[Zeeth]

I have a small one in the greenhouse to try here, it will get planted in spring.

Elaeocarpus decipiens grows great here and is occasionally seen in local landscapes. We also have a E. grandiflorus that is growing nicely.

I suspect that it will do well for you, as your zone is probably about the same as at USF.

[Kim]

Those of you growing this tree -- would you recommend it for canopy then? I'm researching trees to replace the Metrosideros polymorpha that are disappearing from my garden, leaving huge gaps in the forest.

Edit: I may even have a seedling in a pot -- picked up seed from an IPS member's garden on the Kona side, but can't remember if I planted it or not. I have a mystery seedling in a pot that is not a palm... maybe... ?

[Daryl]

Kim, In the Rockhampton Botanical gardens there are some fully grown 60ft tall Veitchia joannis growing under the canopy of these trees...so I can't see it being an issue.

Daryl

[Kim]

Sounds good to me, Daryl. Buttress roots could be kind of cool! (Where's that emoticon with the sunglasses when you need it?)

[NApalm]

Ive googled this sp. to try and find out if it has invasive roots. Only one site says they dont. Does anyone know if this is the case?

[Tropicgardener]

They have extensive surface roots so I guess you could say they are invasive in the fact that they would most likely affect any nearby concrete.

[NApalm]

True. What about damaging pools 10m away?

[Tropicgardener]

Hard to say whether they would cause any grief or not but it is possible.

[SubTropicRay]

More often than not, a super fast growing tree is usually very brittle. Is this tree exposed to cyclone force winds in Queensland? if yes, how does it hold up? High wind resistance is huge consideration for use in Florida. Another issue, especially In West Central Florida, is lightning attraction possibility during the rainy season. West Central Florida has the second most lightning strikes in the world. A 50-90 foot tree will tower above the canopy and likely end up split in two sooner than later. Just something I considered after planting one this weekend

[Pedro 65]

More often than not, a super fast growing tree is usually very brittle. Is this tree exposed to cyclone force winds in Queensland? if yes, how does it hold up? High wind resistance is huge consideration for use in Florida. Another issue, especially In West Central Florida, is lightning attraction possibility during the rainy season. West Central Florida has the second most lightning strikes in the world. A 50-90 foot tree will tower above the canopy and likely end up split in two sooner than later. Just something I considered after planting one this weekend

Ray, everyone can tell a "different" story, but Eleocarpus angustifolius ( was grandis) is a "very" flexible tree in severe storms, the end of of valley is "full"of them and the most damage Ive seen is loss of leaves, never seen any snapped in half or uprooted for 2 reasons.

1 Eleocarpus where felled for "boat" building timer as its high in oil and flexible.

2 Its "buttress" root system holds it "very strong" to Mother Earth.

Heres a good paste below to read which will mention Eleocarpus angustifolius/grandis as its a common food of the Cassowary.

Happy reading and gardening

Pete

Cassowary Specific Revegetation -A Cyclone ... - Ella Bay

[fastfeat]

I know of a good-sized (maybe 60-70') tree in Ft Lauderdale pretty close to the water. Seems like a good-sized canopy with a relatively slender trunk. Couldn't see the flowers w/o binoculars...

[O'o Bar Master]

Aloha all,

We are growing one. Or better stated it is growing us. It is a monster, grows faster than weeds and is very brittle. Every windstorm the branches snap and drop like anvils. You can see in the picture the fairly naked trunk up to a point. There used to be limbs there but like I said, very brittle and they snap without warning. We consider this to be one of our BIG mistakes in the garden. And now it is too tall for me to cut down. The surface roots are also great for tripping over if you walk near it without paying attention.

Mike

[Pedro 65]

Aloha all,

We are growing one. Or better stated it is growing us. It is a monster, grows faster than weeds and is very brittle. Every windstorm the branches snap and drop like anvils. You can see in the picture the fairly naked trunk up to a point. There used to be limbs there but like I said, very brittle and they snap without warning. We consider this to be one of our BIG mistakes in the garden. And now it is too tall for me to cut down. The surface roots are also great for tripping over if you walk near it without paying attention.

Mike

Blue-Ball-Tree.jpg

Mike, yes ,they do "drop" the lower limbs ( they are a "pioneer" tree) as my post 2 pic shows the nearest branch is a good 20+ mtrs up, they do naturally grow beside creeks or very deep red soil here in Oz. If they "where" brittle, the "top" of yours would be snapped off

All best, enjoy your evening. Pete

[BigFrond]

some serious growth

[The Silent Seed]

I haven't had much luck with seeds purchased online - I think they are not fresh enough.

Do any of you have a fruiting tree I could snag some seeds (or even seedlings?) from? I'm happy to pay or trade for them. PM me.

Thanks!

[Pedro 65]

I haven't had much luck with seeds purchased online - I think they are not fresh enough.

Do any of you have a fruiting tree I could snag some seeds (or even seedlings?) from? I'm happy to pay or trade for them. PM me.

Thanks!

The hard outer coating on the seed needs to be cracked open for germination, get a heap of fresh seed off Big MIke since he doesnt like em

Pete

[Loxahatchee Adam]

In case anyone is looking for one. The Tropical Flowering Tree Society is having their Mothers Day sale this weekend at Fairchild in Miami. One of the vendors was selling Elaeocarpus angustifolius. 3 gal, $20, about 4 ft tall.

[The Silent Seed]

Sure - rub it in!!! (Re: the plant sale.)

Good to know about the seed coat - I just haven't found seeds that I felt were sufficiently fresh.

Mike! How about it? Sell me some seeds / seedlings ?

[KrisKupsch]

Just to share some knowledge, Elaeocarpus angustifolius is the tropical species and E.grandis is the southern. They are different and dont believe the books Lone Ranger and Tropicgardener. If you had the two together you would agree. I have both here as 20 year specimens and seen both insitu.

[KrisKupsch]

Best to collect last years seed (dry ones with no flesh) and crack with hammer and sow in rodent proof cage. They germinate in a couple of weeks.

[Josh-O]

Aloha all,

We are growing one. Or better stated it is growing us. It is a monster, grows faster than weeds and is very brittle. Every windstorm the branches snap and drop like anvils. You can see in the picture the fairly naked trunk up to a point. There used to be limbs there but like I said, very brittle and they snap without warning. We consider this to be one of our BIG mistakes in the garden. And now it is too tall for me to cut down. The surface roots are also great for tripping over if you walk near it without paying attention.

Mike, any way I can get you to send me over some seeds?

Thanks,

Josh

Blue-Ball-Tree.jpg

[Cindy Adair]

I did nothing to the stunning blue fruit I collected ore than 10 years ago except remove the outer skin and pulp. However they took a year to germinate so certainly don't give up on germination too soon.

I have 2 huge trees on my PR property and another across the street. I have never fertilized or watered them but they are very fast and lively trees with the distinctive patches of scarlet red leaves.

Not a single bloom much less any blue fruit!

I know the mother trees were shorter than mine and all mine are (now) in full sun. Just more time before fruiting?