About Cupaniopsis parvifolia (F.M.Bailey) L.A.S.Johnson
Cupaniopsis anacardioides is a tree that typically grows to a height of up to 11 m (36 ft), with a diameter at breast height of 50 cm (20 in). Its branchlets are sometimes covered with short pressed hairs and are lenticellate. The leaves are paripinnate, 150–250 mm (5.9–9.8 in) long, with 4 to 8, sometimes up to 12 leaflets. Leaflets are elliptic or egg-shaped, with the narrower end towards the base, 45–190 mm (1.8–7.5 in) long and 16–75 mm (0.63–2.95 in) wide, each on a 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) long petiolule. The leaflets are leathery with prominent veins, and their lower surface is sometimes covered with soft hairs. Separate male and female flowers are borne in panicles 80–350 mm (3.1–13.8 in) long on a softly-hairy peduncle. The flowers are greenish-white or yellowish, each on a 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long pedicel. The sepal lobes are 2.5–4.0 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long, and the petals are egg-shaped, 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) long. Flowering occurs in June and July, and the fruit is a golden yellow capsule tinged with red. This species usually grows on rocky beaches, in hilly scrub and forest, and in littoral rainforest on sand or near estuaries. It occurs naturally in New Guinea, the Dampierland and Northern Kimberley bioregions of northern Western Australia, the far north of the Northern Territory, and in Queensland and New South Wales as far south as Gerroa. It has been introduced to Pakistan, Florida and Hawaii, and is an invasive species in the United States. The fruit of this species, commonly called tuckeroo, attracts many birds including the Australasian figbird, olive-backed oriole and pied currawong. It is also a food source for the larval stages of several butterfly species, including Anthene lycaenoides, A. seltuttus and Arhopala micale. For horticultural use, tuckeroo germinates easily from fresh seed, particularly if the seed is removed from the aril and soaked for a few days. It is widely cultivated in parks and makes a spreading, shady street tree.
