Black Thorn

Bursaria spinosa

Plant Number: 25

Common Name: Blackthorn, Prickly Blackthorn, Christmas Bush,

                                'geapga' and 'kurwan' (Dharawal people)

Scientific Name: Bursaria spinosa 

Derivation of name

Bursaria – from the Latin word, 'bursa', for bag or purse, referring to the purse or heart-shaped seed capsules

spinosa – refers to the spines often present on the branches

Description

• Medium to large shrub growing to 5-10 m in coastal habitats however in Toohey Forest is generally 1 – 3 m tall and is predominately found along the east coast of Australia

• Flowers are white or cream in colour with narrow petals and sometimes will produce only a few flowers in summer which are fragrant
  
• Fruit is a kidney or purse-shaped capsule which opens to reveal two halves
  
• When mature, the seeds rattle in the wind
  
• Fairly hardy and easy to grow from either seed or cuttings
  

Human uses

The leaves of this species contain a secondary compound called aesculin, which was exploited as an ingredient in sunscreens in the 1940s and is used in medical research today.

Fauna usage

It is an important species for the conservation of the Eltham Cooper Butterfly in Victoria.  The larvae feed exclusively on the leaves of this species.

Acknowledgment: Mountains to Mangroves, Australian National Herbarium, Australian National Botanic Gardens

Photo Credit: David Francis