Diploglottis pedleyi S.T.Reynolds

Reynolds, S.T. (1981) Austrobaileya 1(3): 392. Type: The Boulders, Babinda Creek, ca 6 km W of Babinda, 31 Aug 1954, L.S. Smith 5336; holo: BRI.

Tamarind, Pedley's; Pedley's Tamarind

Usually grows into a small tree but also flowers and fruits as a shrub.

Leaf bearing twigs, terminal buds and compound leaf rhachis clothed in brown, rusty brown or reddish brown hairs. Compound leaves about 40-80 cm long, about 18-26 leaflets per leaf. Leaflet blades about 10-20 x 4-7 cm, leaflet stalks about 1.5-2.5 cm long. Midrib usually hairy on the upper surface of the leaflet blade, lateral veins about 20-35 on each side of the midrib.

Inflorescences about 6-15 cm, long, flowers sessile. Calyx lobes suborbicular, about 3-4 mm long. Petals five, about as long as the calyx. Disk complete. Stamens eight, anthers hairy.

Fruits transversely ellipsoid or subglobose, one or 2-lobed, about 3.5-6 x 4-8 cm, outer surface glabrous. Seeds about 3-4 x 3-4 x 2.5-3 cm. Aril almost completely enveloping the seed. Cotyledons unequal in size, surface sculptured. Radicle about 6 mm long.

A number (about 1-4) of cataphylls produced just above the seed, and the stem then cataphyll free for about 10-15 cm before the first true leaves. First pair of true leaves pinnate (with 6 leaflets) and opposite. Rhachis and leaflet stalks densely clothed in brown hairs. Leaflet margins with 1 or 2 teeth on each side. Stem below the first leaves densely clothed in brown hairs. At the tenth leaf stage: leaflet blades oblong, apex acuminate, base obtuse, mainly glabrous except for the midrib. Stem, terminal bud and compound leaf rhachis densely clothed in dark brown or rusty brown hairs. Seed germination time 11 to 48 days.

Endemic to NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 200 m. Grows as an understory plant in undisturbed, well developed rain forest.