A couple of solid years of La Niña have been an incredible tonic for local rainforests.

One tree that's doing particularly well right now is the Native Tamarind (Diploglottis australis), an elegant tall tree of subtropical rainforests. It's a tree that you can pick out among the many other rainforest species by its large, leathery compound leaves, its narrow dark trunk, and its generally tall and upright habit.

At this time of year it's also very noticeable because of its abundant yellow-orange fruit, present among the smaller branches of mature trees, and often seen fallen to the forest floor in large juicy bunches.  

The Native Tamarind is one of those trees that naturally goes for the sky – it tends to have a single trunk and grows rapidly upwards, reaching perhaps 10m or 12m or taller. Not ideal for a typical urban garden, unfortunately, but the copious, delicious, juicy sweet-sour fruit are a still a reason to consider growing it if you have the space and patience to try. Maybe a dwarf version will emerge that makes harvesting easy? In the meantime, see it along the escarpment where it thrives. 

 You can see outstanding examples of this tree along the Mt Keira Ring Track, and also along the management track in Corrimal. Look out for its large, dark-green compound leaves among the rainforest canopy.