Exocarpos latifolius R.Br.

Santalaceae

Brown, R. (1810) Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae : 356. Type: Qld, Coen River, 6 Nov. 1802, R. Brown s.n: lecto: BM, iso: BRI.

Broad Leaved Ballart; Scrub Sandal-wood; Scrub Cherry; Oringorin; Native Cherry; Mistletoe Tree; Dusky Cherry; Cherry, Scrub; Broad Leaved Cherry; Broad-leaved Native Cherry; Cherry, Scrub; Cherry, Broad Leaf; Cherry, Broad-leaved Native; Cherry, Dusky; Cherry, Native; Broad Leaf Cherry; Cherry, Broad Leaved

A small tree seldom exceeding 30 cm dbh. Fine, pale fibres usually visible in the dead bark and blaze. Living bark layer rather thin.

Leaf blade with about 5-7 main longitudinal veins, with or without very few obvious lateral veins. Major veins raised on the upper surface of the leaf blade.

Flowers sessile. Tepals about 0.5-1 mm long.

Fruiting carpel about 5-10 mm long, seated on a fleshy receptacle. Tepals persistent.

Cotyledons +/- linear, about 15 mm long. First pair of leaves opposite, +/- 3-veined. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade +/- 3-veined with stellate hairs scattered among the simple hairs on the surface of the leaf blade. Seed germination time 558 days.

Occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards to north-eastern New South Wales. Altitudinal range from sea level to 900 m. Grows in monsoon forest, beach forest, other closed forests and open forest. Also occurs in Malesia.

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

May be parasitic on the roots of other plants.

Xylophyllos latifolius (R.Br.) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 589(1891). Exocarpos floribundus Domin, Bibliotheca Botanica 89(4): 603(1928), Type: Nord-Queensland: bei Chillagoe stellenweise, so gleich knapp beim studtchen am Chillagoe Bache (DOMIN II. 1910.).