Trees of Australia - the Snottygobble
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (347875)
Rockingham, Australia
June 25, 2016 7:26am CST
Behind our workshop near Donnybrook, Western Australia, is a small tree called, believe it or not, a snottygobble. There are 90 species of these. They belong to the genus Persoonia. Four species are only found in the south-west of Western Australia although it is common through the jarrah forests.
The snottygobble grows on gravelly soil and reaches five metres in height. The foliage is quite a bright green and the narrow leaves make it stand out from the rest of the jarrah forest. It has a graceful, weeping habit. The dark red to bronze bark consists of many layers. As you flake the layers off the bark it becomes almost purple in colour. I have always thought that it should make lovely paper. The jellybean-shaped fruit holds one to two seeds. The outer layer is green and fleshy and was a source of bush tucker for the aborigines.
The fruit is small and sweet. The first part of the name comes from the green flesh which is mucous-like. Emus love the fruit and will eat as many as possible in a short space of time. This accounts for the second part of the name.
Although the tree would make a nice garden or park specimen, there are very, very few people who have been able to propagate the tree. Some say it has to pass through an emu first but this has not been confirmed. I am pleased that we have one at our gate, one behind the workshop and many more in the bush around us. Does your area have a tree with an odd-sounding name?
24 people like this
29 responses
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
26 Jun 16
nothing like that, that sounds like a name that aught to reside in a Harry Potter book!
5 people like this
@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
@responsiveme @Jessicalynnt Yes and/or a tree from a Roald Dahl book.
3 people like this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
26 Jun 16
@Jessicalynnt thats the thought that came to my mind instantly....a Harry Potter tree
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@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
26 Jun 16
We have nothing quite so colorful as that name. What is the "bush tucker" you mentioned?
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@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv I suspected that, but was not sure, thanks.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61347)
• United States
26 Jun 16
Not that I know of just maples, oaks and ashes.
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@BelleStarr (61347)
• United States
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv lol Must be the Puritans who founded our area lol No sense of humor.
@DaddyEvil (143014)
• United States
28 Jun 16
We have a Paw-paw tree. It has a fruit a bit like a pear in size but the flesh tastes like a combination of strawberries and kiwi fruit. The "meat" of the fruit is bright yellow and has a consistency of custard.
There are normally six to ten seeds in each fruit. If you cut the seeds in half lengthwise along their seam you will see a knife, fork or spoon in the embryonic seedling inside the seed.
Legend has it that if you see a fork in the embryo, then you will have a milder winter. A spoon means lots of shoveling, so a hard winter and a knife means no snow at all, so a warm winter.
On our farm we had Pawpaw trees in a couple of places. One tree to the west of our house and one to the east of our house. It was rare that the wild animals got any Pawpaws to eat!
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@DaddyEvil (143014)
• United States
28 Jun 16
@JudyEv Yes, we've split every seed we got one year... It is almost evenly divided between the three different shapes.
Dad said that is why we are only supposed to pick one seed and split it. That one determines the prophecy of the Pawpaw tree for the coming winter.
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@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun 16
I think you can buy pawpaws in our shops but because I'm not used to them I've never bought one. That's interesting about the seeds. Have you ever split a heap and seen if they're all the same? Otherwise they'd be cancelling each other out and the poor old winter wouldn't know what to do! 
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun 16
@DaddyEvil Oh I see. I thought Mother Nature was hedging her bets. :)
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@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
That's very true. Once you know the name and how the bush looks you never forget it! :)
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
25 Jun 16
Most of our trees come from someplace else, but most of the names are not so odd as yours. I wouldn't be able to eat fruit from a tree that is named for the yuck that comes out of the sinus. Ick.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv Well, remember recently that people in the UK voted to name an official ship "Boaty McBoatface". I guess it's part of the culture to be a little tongue in cheek.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
@ElizabethWallace I hadn't heard about the ship's name. That's a beauty.
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@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
I mean the emu needs to eat the fruit then excrete the seed. Something about the emu partly digesting the seed helps it to germinate.
@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
@miniam It may be but if you research the cassowary (a big bird from Queensland and New Guinea) they say there are a lot of plants that would become extinct if the cassowary was to disappear. And for the same reason. The seeds need to be eaten first by the cassowary.
@The_Bong_Woman (850)
•
28 Jun 16
Wow a terrific name that is- Snottygobble! Sounds like a name straight out of a harry potter book. We don't have these trees here in India but I would love to have one in my garden though. By the way you said it has a "peculiar weeping habit" what does that mean?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun 16
I can't make up my mind if it's good or bad - but it's certainly different!
@Shiva49 (26971)
• Singapore
29 Jun 16
When I was very young I heard about Australia through Eucalyptus trees.
I recall my visit to the Blue Mountains, Sydney and I found immediate affiliation with nature.
Thanks for sharing the vast variety from nature; it never fails to enthrall us - siva
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (347875)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
I guess 'snottygobble' is anything but boring and everyday! :)
@rachz_kisses (3838)
• Philippines
25 Jun 16
There's a lot of trees out there but I don't know what they are called. I'm just happy that they are there.
1 person likes this
