Elaeocarpus

Elaeocarpus is a genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees and shrubs. The approximately 350 species are distributed from Madagascar in the west through India, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, southern China, and Japan, through Australia to New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawaii in the east. The islands of Borneo and New Guinea have the greatest concentration of species.

These trees are well-known at least on a local scale for their attractive, pearl-like fruit which are often colorful. Elaeocarpus ganitrus, the Rudraksha Tree, produces fruit known as rudraksha which are traditionally considered sacred in Hinduism.

Several species, mainly from India, are threatened due to deforestation.


Selected species
Elaeocarpus acmosepalus is a species of flowering plant in the Elaeocarpaceae family. It is found in Malaysia and Singapore. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Elaeocarpus angustifolius is a species of flowering plant in the Elaeocarpaceae family, bearing bitter edible fruit. It is commonly known as Blue Marble Tree, and also as Blue Fig or Blue Quandong, although it is not closely related to figs and apart from both being Eudicots hardly related at all to quandongs. The junior synonym Elaeocarpus grandis, from a later description of the species by Ferdinand von Mueller, is also frequently found.It is found in Queensland, Australia, and New South Wales. The fruit of this species is round and blue, between 20 and 30 mm across, and has a seed with deep convolutions in its shell.

Elaeocarpus apiculatus. It is found in Malaysia and Vietnam. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Elaeocarpus blascoi. It is found only in India.

Elaeocarpus bojeri. It is found only in Mauritius.

Elaeocarpus brigittae. It is found only in Indonesia.

Elaeocarpus calomala (Blanco, Merr) is a species of Philippine tree commonly used as a source of wood to create statues. In the Philippines, this is locally known as anakle, bunsilak, binting-dalaga (or maiden's leg, literally). It is similar to native tree species known as batikuling. Elaeocarpus calomala belong to the Elaeocarpaceae family, like the olongas, another native tree species in the Philippines.

Elaeocarpus ceylanicus. It is found only in Sri Lanka.

Elaeocarpus colnettianus. It is found only in New Caledonia.

Elaeocarpus cordifolius. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Elaeocarpus coriaceus. Sri Lanka.

Elaeocarpus dinagatensis. It is found only in the Philippines.

Elaeocarpus fraseri. Malaysia.

Elaeocarpus ganitrus. The Rudraksha is a large evergreen broad-leaved tree that grows in the area from the Gangetic Plain to the foothills of the Himalayas. Rudraksha trees are also found in middle areas of Nepal. Rudraksha seeds are covered by an outer shell of blue color when fully ripe, and for this reason are also known as blueberry beads. The blue colour is derived not from pigment but is structural.

Caesalpinia

Caesalpinia is the name of a genus of controversial size (different publications including between 70 and 165 species, mostly depending on inclusion or exclusion of various genera such as Hoffmanseggia), consisting of tropical and subtropical... more >>>

Zamia

Zamia is a genus of cycad of the family Zamiaceae, containing around 50 species, native to North, Central and South America. Species occur as far north as Georgia in the United States to as far south as Bolivia.

The genus... more >>>

Tecomanthe

Tecomanthe is a genus of 5 species of tropical or subtropical forest lianes in the family Bignoniaceae. They have attractive trumpet-like flowers and glossy leaves. They are native to Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and the... more >>>

Maihuenia

Maihuenia is a genus of cactus (family Cactaceae) and the sole genus of the subfamily Maihuenioideae, which is the smallest subfamily of the Cactaceae. The genus comprises 2 cushion-forming, mucilaginous species. They are found at high... more >>>

Jacaranda Tree

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The genus name is also used as the common name.
more >>>