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Useful Tropical Plants

Horsfieldia australiana

S.T.Blake

Myristicaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name:

Horsfieldia australiana
Flowers and leaves
Photograph by: Unknown
Image credit to Australian National Botanic Gardens
Horsfieldia australiana Horsfieldia australiana

General Information

Horsfieldia australiana is an evergreen tree with a dense, spreading crown; it can grow 10 - 12 metres tall.
The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible seed and is also grown on a local level around villages in New Guinea. It is being grown commercially for its seed in northern Australia.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Australasia - northern Australia, New Guinea.

Habitat

Dense monsoon forest near freshwater streams. It is often found on moist organic soils in sandstone country[
658
Title
Food Plants of Papua New Guinea
Publication
 
Author
French. B.R.
Publisher
Author.
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
Published on-line in PDF format, this book contains information on several hundred New Guinea food plants.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height10.00 m
Self-fertileNo
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist, lowland tropics.
Requires a deep, well drained soil and ample moisture[
658
Title
Food Plants of Papua New Guinea
Publication
 
Author
French. B.R.
Publisher
Author.
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
Published on-line in PDF format, this book contains information on several hundred New Guinea food plants.
].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

The kernel of the fruit is eaten raw[
658
Title
Food Plants of Papua New Guinea
Publication
 
Author
French. B.R.
Publisher
Author.
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
Published on-line in PDF format, this book contains information on several hundred New Guinea food plants.
]. This almost certainly refers to the seed[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - dries out easily, loses its viability rapidly, and cannot be stored. It is best sown in a shaded position in a nursery seedbed - germination is usually fairly quick with the seed of most species sprouting within 2 - 17 weeks[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
,
451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
,
1034
Title
The Gardens' Bulletin Vol. 23
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Botanic Gardens Park and Recreation Department; Singapore
Year
1968
ISBN
 
Description
A botanical journal, this one contains a revision of the genus Myristica.
]. Grow the young plants on in a shady position, planting them out in their permanent positions when large enough.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-04-30. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Horsfieldia+australiana>

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