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Quandong Santalum acuminatum |
Quandong (Santalum acuminatum)
Prized by Aborigines and early settlers alike, the Quandong is a shrub or small
tree that grows up to 5 m high. It has a rough dark bark and sometimes yellowish
green leathery leaves, lanceolate, often curved measuring between 30-90 mm long
and 3-12 mm wide.
Rich in vitamin C, the Aborigines ate both the sharp-tasting flesh and the
kernel of the large stone, although there is a toxin in the seed that is removed
by roasting, and appears to decays over time. There is also some evidence that
the seed is used for medicinal purpose. The wrinkled looking seed case was also
used in the game Chinese checkers. The early settlers made the fruit into
jams, jellies and pies.
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The flower is small and greenish, with a greenish fruit that turns bright red,
fleshing and enclosing a round pitted stone. There is also a rarer
yellow-fruited form. The fruit ripens in September to October, depending on
rainfall.
It is found growing in sandy spinifex areas, often near water courses, salt
lakes or hills. Like others of the genus, the plant is parasitic on the roots of
other trees. |
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Common name |
Where Found |
Desert Quandong
Sweet Quandong
Native Peach
Peach Tree |
Found in the semi-arid, central
desert and southern regions of Australia. It is found growing in sandy spinifex
areas, often near water courses, salt lakes or hills. |
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Common name |
Indigenous Language Group |
The quandong is known to many
different indigenous language groups and is known by a number of local names:
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| pmerlpe, pmwerlpe |
Eastern Arrernte |
| pmwerlpe |
Western Arrernte |
| mangata, walku |
Pintupi |
kuuturu, mangata, walku, wayanu,
witirrpa (seed) |
Pitjantjatjara |
| goorti |
Narungga |
| guwandhang |
Wiradjuri, NSW |
| gutchu |
Wotjobaluk, WA |
| mangarda, mangarta |
Warlpiri |
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Scientific
Classification |
| Kingdom: |
Plantae |
| Division: |
Magnoliophyta |
| Class: |
Magnoliopsida |
| Order: |
Santalales |
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| Family: |
Santalaceae |
| Genus: |
Santalum |
| Species: |
S. acuminatum |
| Binomial name: |
Santalum acuminatum |
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Quandong Images |
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Quandong (Santalum acuminatum), Central
Australia |
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ฉ Colin Leel, September 2007 |
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