Emmenosperma cunninghamii Benth.

Bentham, G. (1863) Flora Australiensis 1: 415. Type: N. Australia. Port Warrender, N.W. Coast, A. Cunningham.

Grows into a large, canopy tree. Living bark bitter when chewed.

Leaf blades about 3.5-11 x 1.8-6.5 cm. Terminal buds and young shoots clothed in pale brown hairs.

Calyx about 2.5-3 mm long, the lobes about 1.5 mm long. Petals about 1 mm long. Anthers enveloped in the hood-like petals until anthesis. Staminal filaments broad based, triangular in outline. Disk orange, attached to the base of the hypanthium and surrounding the ovary. Ovary 3-locular.

Capsules about 0.8-1 x 1-1.3 cm, 3-celled. The capsules usually fall away leaving the seed exposed but attached to the receptacle. Cotyledons thick and waxy.

Cotyledons obovate, about 6-7 x 3-5 mm, rather thick and fleshy, venation not visible. First pair of leaves with stipules about 1.5 mm long. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade ovate or lanceolate, about 55-60 x 20-25 mm, mainly glabrous except for a few pale or yellowish hairs on the petiole and the midrib on the underside of the leaf blade; petiole about 5 mm long, clothed in scattered pale prostrate hairs. Stipules hairy to densely hairy, small, triangular, about 1 mm long. Seed germination time 20 to 46 days.

Endemic to Australia, occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards as far as south-eastern Queensland. Altitudinal range in northern Australia from near sea level to 500 m. Grows in monsoon forest, dry rain forest and well developed rain forest on a variety of sites.