Davidsonia

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Eudicots > Rosids  > Oxalidales > Cunoniaceae > Davidsonia

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:                Davidsonia Plum 

Conservation status:  varies

• Of the 3 species, 2 are endangered

Etymology:   

• Named after John Ewen Davidson (1841-1923) who arrived in Cardwell in December 1865 with the view of establishing a sugar cane planation in Rockingham Bay

• The naming probably arose from the chance meeting between Dallachy and Davidson, during the time when Dallachy made the first herbarium collection of D. pruriens

Flowers:                  

Fruit:                         

• All species have an edible sour fruit with burgundy-coloured flesh and are highly regarded as gourmet bushfood

• The fruits superficially resemble the European plum, but are not closely related

Leaves:         

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

•  Shrub or tree

Habitat:   

• Rainforest

Distribution:                  

• NSW and Queensland

Species:                     

• World:           3

• Australia:     3

Additional notes:     

• There are three species: Davidsonia jerseyana, Davidsonia johnsonii and Davidsonia pruriens

• Overview of species:

  • D jerseyana: 

    • Davidson's plum or Mullumbimby plum

    • A slender small tree, generally 5 m high,

    • Native to lowland subtropical rainforests of NSW

    • It is considered an endangered species in the wild

    • Widely cultivated for its pleasantly sour fruit that is used in jam, wine, ice-cream and sauces

  • D johnsonii: 

    • Smooth Davidson's plum

    • A small tree with a spreading canopy and smooth leaves

    • Native to NSW and southeast Queensland

    • It is also considered an endangered species in the wild 

    • Not widely cultivated because of its infertile seeds

    • It is propagated vegetatively from cuttings or root division

  • D pruriens

    • Ooray or Queensland Davidson's plum

    • A taller tree than the other two species, reaching up to 12 m high

    • It is also slender and has larger fruit which are produced in large clusters from the trunk or branches.

• Small-scale plantations in NSW and Queensland supply the demand, mainly from Davidsonia jerseyana and Davidsonia pruriens

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davidsonia (Jan 2024)

• A revision of Davidsonia (July 2000) ... downloaded from PlantNET NSW (Jan 2024)