Blue quandong – Elaeocarpus grandis

Description

Description

Blue quandong is an unusual, bright blue coloured fruit, native to Eastern Australia from Queensland down to Northern NSW from the Elaeocarpus family (close relative to NZ native hinau). The tree is very beautiful, with buttressed roots and leaves changing from light green to red as they mature. The fruits are iridescent blue (produced not through blue pigment, but from microstructures like the blue morpho butterfly), 2-3cm in diameter. There is a single large seedpod inside the fruit, and the fruits should be left until quite overripe before eating (otherwise they can be a bit bitter). They are tangy even with this treatment, and better for jams and preserves than fresh eating.

In terms of soil requirements, they prefer well draining, moisture-retentive soils that are fairly rich. Like most Australian natives, they can probably grow in poorer soil, but slower. They can handle a bit of frost once established, but it’s not well known how much in New Zealand conditions.

It’s a very fast grower (one of the fastest-growing Australian rainforest species), and grown in optimal conditions in Australia it can reach 30m tall. However in New Zealand it’s expected to not grow much higher than 15m in most locations.

Seedpods per packet: 2

Growing Instructions

Soak the seeds for 24-48 hours until hydrated, and then either plant directly into moist soil, or sprout in a bag with sphagnum moss / vermiculite, before planting.

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