Aceratium is a genus of about 20 species of trees and shrubs of eastern Malesia and Australasia from the family Elaeocarpaceae. In Australia they are commonly known as carabeens. They grow naturally in rainforests, as large shrubs to understorey trees and large trees.
They grow naturally in New Guinea, the centre of diversity, in New Britain, New Ireland, Vanuatu, Sulawesi, Moluccas, and in Australia, where botanists have formally described five species endemic to the Wet Tropics rainforests of northeastern Queensland.
Some species have uses for their fruits as food and, although not yet well known, some have popularity in cultivation, for example in Brisbane.
Selected species
Aceratium archboldianum – New Guinea
Aceratium braithwaitei – New Guinea
Aceratium brassii – New Guinea
Aceratium concinnum – Qld, Australia
Aceratium doggrellii – Qld, Australia
Aceratium ferrugineum – Qld, Australia
Aceratium ledermannii – New Guinea, New Britain
Aceratium megalospermum – Qld, Australia
Aceratium muellerianum – New Guinea
Aceratium oppositifolium – Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea region: Kai Islands through to the Santa Cruz group, New Britain, New Ireland, Solomon Islands Aceratium pachypetalum – W New Guinea Aceratium parvifolium – New Guinea Aceratium pittosporoides ; Syn: A. breviflorum – New Guinea Aceratium sericeum – W New Guinea Aceratium sericoleopsis – Qld, Australia Aceratium sinuatum – New Guinea Aceratium sphaerocarpum ; Syn: A. erythrocarpum – New Guinea Aceratium tomentosum – New Guinea
