Uvaria uhrii (F.Muell.) L.L.Zhou, Y.C.F.Zu & R.M.K.Saunders

Zhou, L. Su, Y.C.F., Chalermglin, P. & Saunders, R.M.K. (2010) Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 163: 39.

Grows into a large tree-top vine, stem diameters to 9 cm recorded. Blaze pleasantly perfumed, perhaps spicy. Blaze marked by cream granular stripes and darker pinkish brown fibrous stripes. Vascular rays visible in the wood but more obvious in the bark.

Younger twigs and petioles densely clothed in rusty brown hairs. Leaf blades about 4-15 x 2.5-7 cm, petioles about 0.4-1 cm long. Underside of the leaf blades clothed in reddish brown stellate hairs. Similar hairs are also visible on the upper surface along the midrib. Leaf blades slightly aromatic when crushed. Twig bark strong and fibrous when stripped. Oak grain in the twigs particularly obvious in the twig bark. Tendrils are modified branches.

Inflorescence short, flowers about 20 mm diam. each on a pedicel about 20 mm long. Flowers perfumed but the odour difficult to describe. Sepals about 7 mm long. Outer petals spreading, thick and fleshy, about 9-18 mm long. Inner petals obovate, curved, forming an arch over the carpels, about 7-15 mm long. Stamens numerous, about 150-200 per flower, anthers sessile or shortly stalked, each anther about 2 mm long. Carpels about 50-70, each about 1.5-3 mm long. Ovules usually 1 per carpel.

Fruiting carpels about 20, each clothed in sessile stellate hairs. Each fruiting carpel about 10-15 x 9-10 mm. Seeds about 5-8 x 6 mm, usually 1 per carpel. Embryo no more than 1 mm long, located at the base of the seed. Radicle and cotyledons +/- equal in length.

First pair of leaves with blades about 2.2-2.5 x 1.2 cm. Young shoots and stems clothed in rusty brown erect hairs. At the tenth leaf stage: upper and lower surfaces of the leaf blade clothed in brown or rusty brown +/- erect hairs (mainly on the veins). Terminal buds and stem clothed in brown or rusty brown simple and stellate hairs. Seed germination time 38 to 69 days.

Occurs in NEQ and in CEQ near Proserpine. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 800 m. Grows in well developed lowland and upland rain forest.

Food plant for the larval stages of the Fourbar Swordtail, Green Spotted Triangle and the Pale Green Triangle Butterflies. Common & Waterhouse (1981); Sankowsky & Neilsen (2000).

Melodorum uhrii F.Muell. , Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 6: 2 (1868). Type: In silvis ad sinum Rockinghams Bay. Dallachy.