Dodonaea lanceolata F.Muell. var. lanceolata

West, J.G. (1984) Brunonia 7(1): 49. Type: Northern Territory, Victoria River, Dec. 1855, F. Mueller; lecto: MEL. Fide J. G. West, Brunonia 7: 48 (1984). Iso: K.

Hopbush

Usually flowers and fruits as a shrub about 1-3 m tall.

Leaf blades glabrous, about 5-8.5 x 1.5-2 cm, petioles about 0.7-1 cm long, grooved on the upper surface. Lateral veins often difficult to see, about 9 or 10 on each side of the midrib forming loops inside the blade margin.

Pedicels about 6-7 mm long. Tepals about 2-3.5 x 1 mm. Stamens 8-10, anthers about 2-3 mm long, filaments about 0.1-0.2 mm long. Ovary glabrous. Style about 8-9 mm long. Stigma shortly 3-lobed.

Capsules 3-lobed, glabrous, capsule + wings about 13-17 x 12-15 mm, pedicels about 6-7 mm long, perianth persistent, attached to the base of the fruit. Wings about 3 mm wide attached to each fruit lobe. Seeds ellipsoid, laterally flattened, about 1-2 x 1 mm. Cotyledons coiled, about 3 mm long. Radicle about 2 mm long, +/- tangential to the cotyledons.

Cotyledons linear. First pair of leaves with lobed margins at least towards the apex. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade elliptic, apex acute, base cuneate to attenuate. Seed germination time 24 days.

Occurs in WA, NT and NEQ (the Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland) and also extends into central Australia. Altitudinal range not known. Usually grows in open forest and woodland but sometimes found in vine thickets and perhaps monsoon forest.

Food plant for the larval stages of the Fiery Jewel Butterfly. Common & Waterhouse (1981).

This plant used medicinally by Aborigines, used for snakebite; decoction drunk or bathed in for body pains. Cribb (1981).