This is an Australian native tree that I have only noticed once on the bush walk that I have done countless time over the past twelve years or so. I only noticed it on my last walk because I initially thought that it was a a non-native tree in the national park. The native cherry can reach a height of 8m. The binomial name has the following meanings:

• Exocarpus is a Greek word that means ‘outside seed’, referring to the trees succulent stalks
• Cupressiformis-is a Latin word that means ‘cypress-shaped’

While I haven’t found a huge amount of information on this particular tree, what I have read on the native cherry all seem to agree on what they say. I think that there is little information on this particular tree because it isn’t grown very often, if at all, in gardens or public spaces (at least not that I have seen anyway).

The leaves are triangular and scale-like, up to 3mm by 0.5mm in size on the branches, even though the tree looks leafless. Flowers are yellow, very small and appear in auxiliary spikes, up to 5mm long. They appear towards the end of the branches between December and May. The flowers are followed by a drupe (a type of fruit, like cherries, plums and olives) that’s shaped like an olive to 6mm long and is edible.

This tree pears in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. It is happy in a range of soils.

• Https://plantnet.rbgsyd,nsw.gov.au. Accessed 23/02/25
• Fairley, A., & Moore, P., 2010, Native Plants of the Sydney Region, 3rd Edition, Jacana Books, Crows Nest
• Robinson, L., 2003, Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney, 3rd Edition, Simon & Schuster, Cammeray