Trees of Australia - the Snottygobble

@JudyEv (323018)
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 (50525)
• 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
• Centralia, Missouri
27 Jun 16
@JudyEv I could see that
2 people like this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
@responsiveme @Jessicalynnt Yes and/or a tree from a Roald Dahl book.
3 people like this
• India
26 Jun 16
@Jessicalynnt thats the thought that came to my mind instantly....a Harry Potter tree
3 people like this
@akalinus (40195)
• United States
26 Jun 16
Snottygobble certainly does not sound very appetizing. Mucous looking fruit does not, either. I guess you would have to close your eyes and eat.
3 people like this
@vandana7 (98415)
• India
26 Jun 16
Imagine going to Australia and being served those..by the hostess.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40195)
• United States
26 Jun 16
3 people like this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
I don't think I could eat it even with my eyes closed!
3 people like this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
25 Jun 16
Snottygobble! I heard this first from you. We have no such odd sounding name of a tree here.
2 people like this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv Yes terrible and perhaps even that tree did not like this name either for itself.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
It's a terrible name, isn't it? Really off-putting.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
@salonga Maybe that is why it refuses to grow for people! Because it hates its name. :)
1 person likes this
@Inlemay (17715)
• South Africa
27 Jun 16
Well that is pretty much a mouthful so say - I am glad that the fruit is not too snotty but rather sweet. ha ha It made me laugh a little today.
2 people like this
@Inlemay (17715)
• South Africa
27 Jun 16
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
Sn*t is a terrible word I think - one of the worst there is! How is your dear old cat? I guess maybe you don't feel like laughing much.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
@Inlemay I am so sorry. I had a feeling that might have been the case.
2 people like this
• Eugene, Oregon
26 Jun 16
We have nothing quite so colorful as that name. What is the "bush tucker" you mentioned?
2 people like this
• Eugene, Oregon
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv I suspected that, but was not sure, thanks.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
Bush tucker is just food that you could find in the bush - berries, herbs, yams, wichetty grubs. Tucker just means food.
1 person likes this
@Lucky15 (37346)
• Philippines
25 Jun 16
We don't have this tree here..i think :)
2 people like this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
It only grows in Australia and is almost impossible to propagate by hand.
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
26 Jun 16
Not that I know of just maples, oaks and ashes.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61050)
• United States
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv lol Must be the Puritans who founded our area lol No sense of humor.
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
Those are much more dignified names!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137251)
• 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!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137251)
• 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.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• 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 (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun 16
@DaddyEvil Oh I see. I thought Mother Nature was hedging her bets. :)
1 person likes this
@xFiacre (12500)
• Ireland
25 Jun 16
@judyev Such a delightful name. If all plants had such names children would pay a lot more attention when being taught about them in school.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
That's very true. Once you know the name and how the bush looks you never forget it! :)
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
25 Jun 16
Omg! You have the craziest tree names in Australia. I like our normal named trees, thank you very much.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
My nose starts curling every time I think of 'you know what'.
2 people like this
• 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
• 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 (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
It's a terrible name isn't it? I would have thought early settlers would have been much more circumspect in their choice of names.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
@ElizabethWallace I hadn't heard about the ship's name. That's a beauty.
1 person likes this
@Telynor (1763)
• United States
27 Jun 16
What a terrific name for a tree!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
I don't think I've heard one that compares - and it's an official name too!
1 person likes this
@Telynor (1763)
• United States
27 Jun 16
@JudyEv The name alone convinces me that the Australians have a great sense of humour.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
27 Jun 16
@Telynor We like to think we have but probably every country thinks the same.
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
25 Jun 16
You have so many different trees in Australia, l guess this is because there is enough space there. What is "passing through emu?" what do you mean?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• 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 (323018)
• 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.
@miniam (9154)
• Bern, Switzerland
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv I think this is just legend/old time stories.
1 person likes this
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 (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun 16
It's a strange name isn't it? A weeping habit means the branches bend over towards the ground, a bit like a weeping willow.
1 person likes this
28 Jun 16
@JudyEv Sure it is. And thanks for the info.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
25 Jun 16
I cannot claim to be inspired by the tree, but I love the name. I could just imagine trying to sell those fruits here in England. I cannot imagine many people wanting to try a snottygobble fruit.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
It's a dreadful name. It really puts me off. :)
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv It would make it rather difficult to sell.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (48786)
• United States
28 Jun 16
What a name for a tree
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun 16
I can't make up my mind if it's good or bad - but it's certainly different!
@Shiva49 (26141)
• 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 (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Jun 16
The area around the Blue Mountains is particularly beautiful isn't it?
1 person likes this
@BettyB (4117)
• Summerville, South Carolina
26 Jun 16
I love the name and the fruit would be fun to try. Sadly most of the trees around here have boring, everyday names.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
I guess 'snottygobble' is anything but boring and everyday! :)
@responsiveme (22932)
• India
26 Jun 16
What a funny name.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
It's a very strange name isn't it?
• 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
@JudyEv (323018)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 16
It would be a dreary world without trees wouldn't it? There are some lovely trees around.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
26 Jun 16
@JudyEv I know.
1 person likes this