About Syzygium cormiflorum (F.Muell.) B.Hyland
Syzygium cormiflorum (F.Muell.) B.Hyland is a rainforest tree that can grow up to 30 metres (98 feet) tall, with a trunk reaching 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) in diameter at breast height. Trees that produce flowers on their branches grow larger than those that produce flowers directly on the trunk; the trunk of the trunk-flowering form has a distinctly bumpy texture. Large mature specimens may develop buttressed trunks. Its bark is fibrous and flaky. Leaves measure between 6 and 21 centimetres (2.4 to 8.3 inches) long, and 2.5 to 11.5 centimetres (0.98 to 4.53 inches) wide. Flowers grow either directly on the trunk (a trait called cauliflory) or on larger branches (called ramiflory), and bloom in most months of the year except December and January, with peak flowering occurring from July to September. After flowering, the tree produces white or cream-coloured fruit that are 3 to 6 centimetres (1.2 to 2.4 inches) in diameter.
This species ranges from Townsville to the Iron Range in Australia, growing from sea level up to 1,200 metres (3,900 feet) in altitude. Cauliflorous (trunk-flowering) forms are more common at higher elevations, while ramiflorous (branch-flowering) forms are more common at lower elevations, and it grows naturally in rainforest habitat.
Ecologically, the fruit of Syzygium cormiflorum is not particularly palatable to humans. Southern cassowaries eat both the fruit and flowers of this species. Odoriferous black ants (Anonychomyrma gilberti) dig extensive tunnels in cauliflorous specimens, especially within the bumpy protrusions where flowers grow.
In cultivation, Syzygium cormiflorum is rarely grown in gardens. It is generally propagated from seed, and cultivated plants can take 8 to 12 years to produce their first flowers. It can be grown successfully in subtropical climates. Around 40 specimens of this tree have been planted across the city of Cairns, Queensland.
