Glochidion?

Glochidion ferdinandi = cheese tree. Mine looks nice at present but almost loses it's life every winter - looks straggly, infested with some grub creatures, loses lots of leaves. Not a feature tree I'd say ...

That doesn't sound like what we have here on the south coast. These don't lose a great deal of leaves all at once, and they always look healthy, with glossy leaves. They have a round, broad-spreading shape and can get very big, like a fig or kaffir plum (?), but they also remind me of lilly pillies (similar leaves) with berries that look like tiny pumkins. I don't want to plant one (I have a potted one which I raised from a seedling) but there are a couple in the bush behind our place, and a lot of places around our area have them in their yards. I was just curious as to what the botanical name is.

Common names can be such a trap! What obviously looked like a cheese ball in your locality (South Coast=dairy cows=cheese manufacturers??) might have prompted a completely different comparison in another locality.

I gather the tree is a native - you might have more luck on the natives forum. If you have access to a digital camera, post a picture of the fruit and leaves. I have used a scanner to get nice clear images of leaves, etc. and you can add a common item, like a tea bag, to give a good idea of size. There are some really knowledgeable people out there.

Failing that, how about taking a piece to a local nursery.

From your description, this is likely Glochidion ferdinandi, named commonly in the literature as either the Cheese
tree or also as an umbrella tree. The main common name comes from the seed pods which look like miniature
pumpkins or cheese rounds [hence the name]. The leaves looks like they could be a lillypilly, but are not related.
Inside the the fruits are tiny red angular seeds. The trees will also sucker - said to be from damage to roots, but mine
like to sucker and - like most of our rainforest/dry rainforest species here in SE Qld - loves to multi trunk. Seasonal
insect predation can be a problem, but the first specimen I saw was the most glorious and densest shade tree I have
ever seen, with no insect damage. These grubs can be controlled with your usual chemical sprays, but also with a spray or
soil drench made up of good quality formulated Neem Oil and water, If you need more info, contact me.

There's a good photo of Glochidion ferdinandi at this site. Is it your tree?

Phillip, you might read the bit at the bottom about this tree being a host for a couple of butterflies. You might be spraying "good" grubs.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.brisrain.webcentral.com.au/database/Gloch_ferdinandi.htm

That's exactly what it is! Thanks everyone. I'll remember the name. The ferdinandi part is like the bull in a story, Ferdinand,who sat under a shady tree all day (the trees we have around here are all wide-spreading shady trees). I'll just have to remember the glochidion part.
Donna.