Collected 1770: Endeavour River
Collected 2018: Whyanbeel Valley
In this dreamy and luminous composition, the plant is bathed in a soft focus through sensuous passages of transparent watercolour. The glorious red and decaying leaf anchoring the portrait is, by contrast, in crisp and dramatic focus.
A dioecious rainforest species, so male and female plants need to be grown within pollinator distance if fruit and seeds are to form. The distinctive heart shaped leaves change colour to a deep red before falling – hence its common name, bleeding heart.
The tree is a favourite of the hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules), which has the largest wing area of any moth in the world. They lay their eggs on the tree and larvae feed on the leaves.