This is the first of a monthly series featuring native plants that grow on the Sunshine Coast. Suitable for growing in home gardens, they are available as tubestock at Coolum Community Native Nursery. The seed is collected locally so by planting them in your garden you are helping to maintain the natural biodiversity of the area.
Tuckeroo, Cupaniopsis anacardioides
(cue-pan-ee-OP-sis) After Italian botanist Francesca Cupani, (an-ah-car-di-OY-dees) like anacardium, the cashew.
Tuckeroo is a small, attractive, rounded tree to 10m with non-invasive roots that is often used as a feature or street tree. It is very hardy, tolerating both frost and drought once established. Additionally, Cupaniopsis anacardioides is adaptable to most soil types, including clay. It has small greenish-cream flowers, winter to spring, followed by clusters of eye-catching yellow to orange 3 lobed fruit. The fruit usually ripens between July and December, and is eaten by many species of birds. In nature, we often find this species along watercourses in coastal forests.
Photos and information courtesy of Coolum Community Native Nursery
Tolerates salt water as some growing on Hilton Esplanade, Tewantin have their roots inundated on high tides.