Melicytus dentatus
Violaceae
Very Common
Tree Violet, previously Hymenanthera dentata, is the commonest of the native “prickly bushes” around Robertson. The alternate, dark green leaves have toothed edges, a blunt tip and are 2‒6 cm long. A strong spine is in the angle between most leaves and the stem; these persist even on the leafless old stems.
While often a shrub on the outer edges of rainforest patches, it may grow into a small tree. Although in the violet family, the flowers of Tree Violet are very different.
In spring, numerous, very small, cream bells, with a strong perfume, hang along the branches of the bushes. These flowers turn into pale green berries, which eventually turn purple in late summer.
DISTRIBUTION:
TAS to southern QLD; also occurs in SA
