Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Whyanbeelia terrae-reginae Airy Shaw & B.Hyland


Tree
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Female flowers. © G. Sankowsky
Female flower. © G. Sankowsky
Female flower [not vouchered]. CC-BY J.L. Dowe
Male flowers. © G. Sankowsky
Male flowers. © G. Sankowsky
Male inflorescence [not vouchered]. CC-BY J.L. Dowe
Male flowers. © CSIRO
Female flowers. © CSIRO
Leaves and flowers. © G. Sankowsky
Leaves and fruits. © CSIRO
Scale bar 10mm. © CSIRO
Cotyledon stage, epigeal germination. © CSIRO
10th leaf stage. © CSIRO
Family

Airy Shaw, H.K. & Hyland, B.P.M. (1976) Kew Bulletin 31: 376. Type: Qld, Cook Dist, T R 55 Whyanbeel, lat. 16 deg 20 S., long. 145 deg 20 E., rain forest, alt. 150 m, 3 July 1974, Hyland 3052; holo: K; iso: QRS.

Stem

Blaze layering quite distinct.

Leaves

Leaf blades about 10-14 x 3.5-5 cm. Lateral veins form loops well inside the blade margin. Young shoots and twigs clothed in short brown hairs. Crushed leaves may emit an odour like that of sarsaparilla.

Flowers

Inflorescence about 6 cm long, not exceeding the leaves. Male flowers: Flowers with pedicels about 5-9 mm long, tepals about 1-1.5 mm long. Stamens about 50-55, staminal filaments about 2 mm long, inserted among the disk glands and long hairs. Disk glands about 0.7 mm long. Female flowers: Flowers with pedicels up to 9-14 mm long, tepals about 3-4 mm long, disk glands up to 2 mm long. Ovary about 3 x 2 mm, pubescent, ovules 2 per locule. Styles about 3-4 mm long.

Fruit

Fruits globular, about 20 mm diam., disintegrating at maturity. Seeds about 12 x 5.5-6 mm. Embryo about 10 mm long, cotyledons green, flat, much wider than the radicle.

Seedlings

Cotyledons elliptic to elliptic-obovate, about 20-25 x 14 mm. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves ovate or elongate-ovate, apex acuminate, base cuneate, a few hairs present on the upper surface at least along the midrib; petioles, stem and terminal bud clothed in pale brown hairs. Seed germination time 14 to 15 days.

Distribution and Ecology

Endemic to NEQ, restricted to the area between the Daintree and Johnstone Rivers. Altitudinal range from 100-400 m. Grows in well developed lowland and upland rain forest.

RFK Code
735
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