Goniothalamus australis Jessup

Jessup, L.W. (1984) Austrobaileya 2(3): 224. Type: Lamins Hill, ca 12 km E of Malanda, 17 deg 23 S, 145 deg 42 E, 12 Dec 1984, L.W. Jessup 764 (holo: BRI, iso:QRS, A, K, L, MO, P, U.

China Pine

White granular and brown fibrous stripes in the outer blaze. Blaze finely layered.

Leaf blades about 7-12 x 3-5 cm. Leaf blade margin slightly recurved, particularly towards the base. Twig bark strong and fibrous when stripped, emitting a slightly aromatic odour. Lateral veins scarcely visible but forming loops inside the blade margin. Terminal buds and young shoots clothed in rusty brown, prostrate hairs. Oil dots visible with a lens.

Sepals valvate, about 7-8 x 6-6.5 mm. Outer petals about 25-35 x 16-21 mm. Inner petals about 10-12 x 7-9 mm. Inner petals cohering along the margins to form a cap over the stamens and ovaries. Anther connective +/- swollen at the apex and concealing the anthers. Ovaries 9-11, ovules 4-8 per ovary.

Fruiting carpels shortly stalked, carpels about 3-6 x 1.5-2.5 cm. Seeds about 15-20 x 10 mm, two to six per carpel. Testa smooth. Embryo minute.

First pair of leaves alternate, lanceolate, glabrous. Oil dots visible with a lens. Axillary buds clothed in rusty red hairs. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves lanceolate, glabrous on the upper surface; oil dots very small, just visible with a lens. Axillary and terminal buds clothed in rusty red hairs. Seed germination time 116 days.

Endemic to NEQ, restricted to the area between Cooktown and Ravenshoe. Altitudinal range from 600-1200 m. Grows in upland rain forest.

Fruit eaten by Cassowaries. Cooper & Cooper (1994).

Food plant for the larval stages of the Green Spotted Triangle, Pale Green Triangle and the Green Triangle Butterflies. Sankowsky & Neilsen (2000).