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Mimusops elengi
Spanish Cherry, Red Coondoo
Family: SapotaceaeIn spite of the common name "Spanish Cherry", this tree is actually native to southern and southeast Asia and Northern Australia.
It is valued as an ornamental tree in Asia for its attractive natural growth habit and small but highly scented flowers. The fruits are said to be edible, but unfortunately, they are hosts to Fruit Fly [1] and various parts of the plant have been used medicinally in Asia. The hard wood is also highly valued.
The tree has been widely grown in Darwin, but in spite of its great potential for urban landscaping (especially as it's not a member of the Myrtaceae family) is not well known as an ornamental elsewhere in Australia. It occurs as far south as the Mackay region [2] but the author is not currently aware if it has been tested in cultivation further south. There is a photo on Flickr taken near Miami [3] which is roughly the same latitude as Bundaberg. Although Miami's climate may be more tropical, it would seem to have potential (please get in touch if you have any experience with theis species south of Mackay).
Selection and breeding of theis species to date has been limited Many of trees currently grown in Darwin originated from seeds collected from an especially attractive form of the tree from Western Australia in the early 1980s [4]. Since then, some cultivars have been developed by Darwin Plant Wholesalers including the variegated 'Street Elegance' and 'Mini-Min', which has denser and more compact growth than the species.
Evaluation in other parts of the country and further development improved varieties (whether for cold hardiness or growth habit) could well help increase the popularity of Mimusops in future.
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