Bushman’s Clothes Pegs
Form and Size: A small tree or shrub, 3-10m high
Distribution: Cape York Peninsula and extending south along the Dividing Range to about Jericho; in open forests
Leaves: Egg-shaped to lance-shaped or oval, grey-green to bluish-green, leathery, covered with downy hairs, 7-1cm x 3-6cm; new growth bronze, softly hairy
Bark: Dark brown to black, deeply furrowed
Flowers: Creamy-white, perfumed; borne on cylindrical racemes 8-25cm long, arising terminally and from the axils, pendulous
Flowering Period: July to September
Fruit: Follicles, almost globular, brown to black, very hard, thick and woody, 2.5-4cm diameter seeds surrounded with a broad wing
Cultivation/Notes: Propagate from seed. Usually found on well drained sandstone ridges and sandy plains so would obviously appreciate well drained, open soils. An excellent plant for contrast with its dark bark and dull greyish-green leaves. The seed capsules are attractive and are sometimes retained on the tree for several years. They are quite substantial and were used by pioneers as “bushman’s clothes pegs”. It is reported that the timber was a favourite with Aboriginal people for boomerang making.
