Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Trema tomentosa (Roxb.) H.Hara var. tomentosa


Shrub (woody or herbaceous, 1-6 m tall)
Tree
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Leaves and fruit. © G. Sankowsky
Scale bar 10mm. © CSIRO
Family

Hara, H. (1971) The Flora of Eastern Himalaya 2 : 19.

Common name

Poison Peach

Stem

Grows into a small or medium-sized tree but also flowers and fruits as a shrub.

Leaves

Leaf blades about 5-18 x 1.8-6.7 cm. Leaf blade upper and lower surfaces clothed in hairs which are mainly erect and somewhat twisted and not obviously prostrate. Upper surface somewhat scabrous.

Flowers

Inflorescences rather compact and generally not exceeding the petioles. Flowers about 2.5-3 mm diam. Peduncles short, not at all obvious.

Fruit

Infructescences compact, not exceeding the petioles. Peduncles difficult to distinguish. Fruit ovoid, about 3-3.5 x 2.5-3 mm, perianth lobes persistent at the base. Stone about 2-2.5 x 2 mm, embryo U-shaped.

Seedlings

Cotyledons elliptic to obovate, about 4-9 x 2-4 mm, 3-veined. First pair of leaves ovate, margin usually with about 2-7 teeth on each side. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves ovate, base cordate. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf scabrous, blade clothed in short, stiff, broad-based hairs. Stipules linear-triangular, hairy, about 3-4 x 1 mm. Terminal bud, stem and petiole clothed in dense white hairs. Seed germination time 27 to 272 days.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ and CEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 400 m. Grows in monsoon forest and lowland rain forest. Also occurs in Africa, Asia, Malesia and the Pacific islands.

Natural History & Notes

This species may be poisonous. (http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL7/sep97-4. html)

Synonyms
Trema tomentosa (Roxb.) H.Hara var. tomentosa, Flora of Australia 3: 9(1989). Celtis tomentosa Roxb., Fl. Indica 2: 66(1832), Type: India, Chittagong, collector unknown.
RFK Code
1064
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