Cherry Ballart at Watson, ACT
Identification history
| Exocarpos cupressiformis | 25 Mar 2026 | waltraud | ||
| Exocarpos cupressiformis | 25 Mar 2026 | waltraud | ||
| Unverified | 10 Mar 2026 | waltraud |
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User's notes
The "peppercorn" puzzle: about "1.5 square meters densely covered with peppercorn sized balls. I have no idea .... I didn't taste them
7 comments
waltraud
wrote:
17 Mar 2026
that is more likely than all other ideas. I haven't seen an operculum but should collect some and check again. Some have little holes; if these balls were insect eggs, the holes might indicate parasitism.
waltraud
wrote:
25 Mar 2026
hi DonFletcher Puzzle solved
I collected and took photos today: Fruits of Exocarpos cupressiformis ; see sighting Exocarpos cupressiformis (Cherry Ballart) and https://spapps.environment.sa.gov.au/SeedsOfSA/speciesinformation.html?rid=1928
I collected and took photos today: Fruits of Exocarpos cupressiformis ; see sighting Exocarpos cupressiformis (Cherry Ballart) and https://spapps.environment.sa.gov.au/SeedsOfSA/speciesinformation.html?rid=1928
abread111
wrote:
25 Mar 2026
So the puzzle is now rephrased- which animals collect these and leave them in a dense patch as shown?
waltraud
wrote:
25 Mar 2026
abread111 birds eat the red succulent pedicel (the "cherry") with the hard fruit (nut?) and release the undigested hard fruits with their droppings. The fruits are very light and presumably transported by water; they accumulate where conditions are suitable - as shown in the South Australia link that I included in my comment above. I found several patches with large amounts of fruits under or close to Cherry Ballart trees.
abread111
wrote:
25 Mar 2026
The similar photo in the related species shown in the SeedsOfSA website is of an emu scat. Maybe foxes eat the "cherries" here like they do briar hips and this is patch of "peppercorns" is a fox scat.
waltraud
wrote:
26 Mar 2026
foxes are good climbers but I don't think they are climbing up the trees - birds seem to to be more likely. Actually the rare Little Friarbird was observed feeding on Cherry Ballart "cherries" in the area, see this records of a Little Friarbird sitting in front of a Cherry Ballart: Philemon citreogularis (Little Friarbird) and Philemon citreogularis (Little Friarbird); the photos were taken close by. I expect also Currawongs they are attracted to red (such as my tomatoes) and numbers around The Fair have vastly increased.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.169786-35.228336
- Altitude 631.4m
- Maps Mount Majura
- Places Watson, ACT
Sighting information
- 1,001 - 10,000 Abundance
- 9 Mar 2026 12:08 PM Recorded on
- waltraud Recorded by
-
Collections
waltraud NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Latest Exocarpos cupressiformis Other Trees Plants
Species information
- Exocarpos cupressiformis Scientific name
- Cherry Ballart Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1381.61m Recorded at altitude
-
In flower
-
Synonyms
Mummadya
Record quality
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes