Brush Cherry is an evergreen shrub or small tree with
flaky bark. It can reach heights of 20 m or more in the wild, but is
mostly 8-10 m with a short, crooked bole, in cultivation. Young leafy
twigs are 4-angled to shortly 4-winged, wings joining above each node
to produce a small pocket. Leaves are elliptic to obovate, 3-10 cm
long, 1-3 cm wide, tip short-tapering, base wedge-shaped, hairless and
glossy, lower surface paler; lateral and intramarginal veins generally
visible; oil glands scattered, often faint; leaf-stalk is 3-10 mm long.
Inflorescences are mostly botryoids, at branch-ends and in the upper
axils. Petals are 4-6 mm long, free and spreading, white. Stamens 15-20
mm long. Fruit is obovoid, 15-25 mm long, about 15 mm diam., reddish
pink to red; seed usually solitary, embryo solitary with smooth
cotyledons. Brush Cherry is native to Australia.
Identification credit: Aarti Khale
Photographed in Lalbagh, Bangalore.
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The flower labeled Brush Cherry is ...