Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Neolitsea dealbata

Flowering stem. Australian Plant Image Index, Australian Tropical Rainforest key

Flowering stem with backs of leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Fruit and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants key, photographer unknown

Common name

Hairy-leaved bolly gum, White bolly gum

Family

Lauraceae

Where found

Forest north from the Illawarra region

Notes

Shrub or tree to 12 m high. Fruit fleshy. Bark dark brown, blistered, slightly scaly in larger trees. Stems hairy. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, in pseudo-whorls or alternating up the stems, 7–20 cm long, 25–80 mm wide, upper surface glossy green, lower surface glaucous, usually strongly whitish and with appressed, brownish hairs which sometimes persist on older leaves; main veins distinctly rusty-hairy, tips pointed, stalk 10–15 mm long, rusty-hairy. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers cream or yellowish, about 2 mm long, with 4-6 'petals' fringed with reddish brown hairs. Flowers in clusters. Fruit red turning black, round, about 8 mm in diameter, ripe Apr.-June.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Neolitsea~dealbata 
(accessed 23 January, 2021)