Ehretia sp. Whitfield Range (R.Jago 17)

Provisional HISPID phrase name.

Occasionally grows into a small tree but usually flowers and fruits as a shrub. Blaze darkening rapidly on exposure to orange brown. Lenticels pale.

Leaf scars on the twigs are raised flat-topped projections. Leaf blades about 6-11 x 2-4.5 cm, petioles about 5-9 mm long. Domatia (not present on all leaves) are foveoles with sparse hairs around the orifice. Lateral veins about 6-8 on each side of the midrib forming loops inside the blade margins.

Calyx lobes usually reflexed. Anthers dark at maturity. Styles about 2.5 mm long with two short branches each about 0.3 mm long.

Fruits globular, soft, sweet and juicy, about 6-8 mm diam.

Cotyledons ovate to elliptic, about 6-8 x 3.5-5 mm, both the upper and lower surface hairy. First leaf ovate, margin entire, second and subsequent leaves, margins usually toothed. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade ovate to elliptic, apex acuminate, base cuneate. Margin sometimes entire but usually sparsely toothed with up to four teeth on each side, mainly towards the apex. Both the upper and lower leaf blade surfaces sparsely clothed in stiff hairs which cause irritation when they penetrate the skin. Stems and petioles clothed in similar hairs. Seed germination time 41 days.

Occurs in NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 740 m. Grows in lowland rain forest or on the boundary between rain forest and open forest or the boundary between rain forest and sclerophyll forest. The same species (or a closely related species) is also found in Asia.