Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition
Donella lanceolata (Blume) Aubrév.
Aubréville, A. (1963) Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Vietnam 3: 64
Apple, Star; Star Apple
Exudate slow and meagre. White, granular stripes in the outer blaze. Pale brown or orange, brittle stripes present in the inner blaze.
Petioles and twigs produce a small amount of milky exudate. Leaf blades about 4.5-10.5 x 1.5-3.5 cm. Intramarginal vein close to the edge of the leaf blade, sometimes difficult to see. Terminal buds, young leafy twigs and petioles densely clothed in rusty brown hairs.
Inflorescence fasciculate, very short, much shorter than the leaves and often about the same length as the petioles. Flowers not opening widely. Calyx about 2 mm long, Petals about 2.5 mm long. Ovary clothed in white hairs.
Fruits globular, often quite large, about 5-6 x 5-6 cm. Testa thick, hard and woody. Cotyledons thin and flat.
Cotyledons large, 30-47 x 25-31 mm, slightly unequal-sided. A number of veins and the midrib radiate from the base of each cotyledon. First pair of leaves narrowly elliptical to narrowly obovate, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneate to attenuate. Midrib raised on the upper surface. Lateral veins numerous (more than 25) on each side of the midrib. Lateral vein angle about 80. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade oblong-obovate, apex acuminate, base cuneate; both surfaces of new leaf densely hairy, hairs medifixed; hairs on new growth and stem not coloured; only a few hairs remaining on both the upper and lower surfaces of older leaves; intramarginal vein very close to the leaf margin, lateral veins about 20 on each side of the midrib; petiole densely hairy. Seed germination time 26 to 56 days.
Occurs in CYP and NEQ, known from Moa Island, the Claudie River, McIlwraith Range and the Isabella Falls areas. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 450 m. Grows in gallery forest and other well developed rain forests. Also occurs in Asia, Malesia and the Solomon Islands.