Family: Apocynaceae
Synonyms: Ervatamia angustisepala, Tabernaemontana orientalis, T. pandacaqui..
Common names: banana bush, native gardenia.
Habit: open branching shrub to 3 m.
Foliage: simple leaves lanceolate, edges slightly undulate, to 8 cm long, plant foliage and stems exude white latex when damaged. Specimens growing in exposed situations tend to have yellowy foliage, as an understory plant in the forest it has darker green leaves.
Flowers: jasmine like white fragrant flowers , 5 petals fusing to form tube , regularly symmetrical, +/- whorled/ twisted, 10-15 mm wide. Flowers oct-dec.
Fruit: fruit is pairs of orange-yellow fused banana shaped capsules, similar to other species.
Notes: In parts of Australia ‘banana bush’ was seemingly recognised in the nursery trade as E. angustisepala. This type is identified as naturally occurring in Qld and NE NSW, where it is also cultivated for gardens, and possibly in New Guinea and Melanesia. It is prized for it’s fragrant flowers and brightly coloured interesting fruit. Seems to like rainforest margins, especially along streams, and will become an understory plant in rainforest and drier vine forests, it is reported to be meeting with some success in cultivation. May be able to propagate with cuttings or fresh seed.
The latex was (is) reportedly used in the same way as that from T. orientalis. The root bark has been used for tropical fever.
A recent listing of plants in Qld (1993) named only T. orientalis and T. pandacaqui as being found in Qld. Whilst The flora of the Kimberley region (1992) names E. orientalis and E. pubescens as occurring in that region, but in the notes states that both these species may be synonymous with T. pandacqui according to recent taxonomic work. In the latest edition of Australian Rainforest Plants (1994) it is stated that E. angustisepala is now recognised as Tabernaemontana pandacaqui.
Other type specimens are recorded from such places as New Caledonia and other areas close to Australia, so the situation is a complex one, as there can also a lot of variation within recognised species.