Cordyline petiolaris (Domin) Pedley

Pedley, L.(1986), Cordyline. Flora of Australia 46: 84, 220.

Shrub to 5 metres, often sprawling and branched; stems woody, with annular scars when young.

Crowded at tips of branches; 45-85cm by 6-15cm; lamina elliptic, often bent downwards near the middle and irregularly frayed at tip, narrowed into an inrolled petiole 30-50cm long; pinnately veined with many lateral veins at a very small angle to midrib, hence appearing longitudinally veined; both surfaces glabrous; base of petiole widened into a sheath around the stem.

Inflorescence a terminal or axillary panicle about 30cm long on an elongated stalk, becoming pendulous; flowers 3-merous, actinomorphic, bisexual, subsessile; perianth of 2 whorls, each of 3 tepals, 6-7.5mm long, glabrous, united at the base for more than half their length, the lobes spreading and recurved, white inside, pink outside; stamens 6, strongly exserted, yellow; filaments inserted at base of perianth tube; ovary superior, 3-locular.

A fleshy, globose berry, red, 7-10mm in diameter, 3-locular; seeds several per locule, black.

Features not available.

Occurs in CEQ and southwards as far as north eastern New South Wales. Altitudinal range in from near sea level to 960 m. Grows in wet sclerophyll forest and rain forest.

Cordyline terminalis var. petiolaris Domin, Beitrage zur Flora und Pflanzengeographie Australiens. Bibliotheca Botanica 20(85): 517(1915). Type: Tambourine Mt, Qld, K. Domin; holo: PR.

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