Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition
Actephila forsteri B.J.Conn
Conn, B.J. (2017) Telopea 20(1): 11.
Usually flowers and fruits as a shrub about 1-3 m tall.
Leaf blade about 8-20 x 4-6.5 cm, petioles short, about 0.4-0.8 cm long. Lateral veins about 9-19 on each side of the midrib. Stipules lanceolate to broadly triangular, about 1-2 x 1 mm.
Flowers about 9-12 mm diam., pedicels slender, about 40 mm long. Outer tepals (or sepals) ovate, about 10 x 4 mm. Inner tepals (or petals) obtuse, about 3 x 1.5 mm. Male flowers: Flowers about 7 mm diam. Sepals about 3 mm long. Petals about 1.5 mm long. Staminal filaments about 2.5 mm long. Female flowers: Flowers about 10-12 mm diam. Sepals about 4-4.5 mm long. Petals about 1.5-2 mm long. Ovary seated on an entire fleshy disk with an undulate surface and margin. Ovules 2 per locule. Styles three, about 2-3 mm long, fused towards the base. Each style branch shortly bifid at the apex.
Fruits about 20-35 mm diam., calyx persistent at the base. Pedicels slender, about 40 mm long. Seeds about 11 x 10 mm. Cotyledons folded or rolled, much larger than the radicle. Radicle about 4 x 1.5 mm.
Cotyledons orbicular or almost square, about 20-30 mm diam., apex truncate or obtuse to slightly emarginate, base cordate to auriculate. Venation complex with 3-5 veins radiating from the base if the midrib is included. The midrib divides into two equal branches further up the cotyledon and each of these branches also divides so that there is no obvious connection between the midrib and the cotyledon margin. First pair of leaves obovate, ovate-elliptic, apex acuminate (tip blunt), base +/- cuneate, midrib raised on the upper surface, margins entire. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves pseudowhorled, leaf blade obovate to elliptic, about 12 x 5 cm, apex acute, base attenuate. Midrib raised on the upper surface. Stipules broadly triangular, about 2 mm long. Seed germination time 19 to 36 days.
Endemic to CYP, known only from collections made in the Claudie River area. Altitudinal range from 20-100 m. Grows as an understory plant in rain forest and gallery forest.
Actephila longipedicellata P.I.Forst., Austrobaileya 7: 78 (2005) [replaced synonym], Type: Queensland, Garraway Creek rockpiles, 16 Apr. 1988, P.I. Forster PIF 4227. Holo: BRI. Iso: DNA, KEP, SAN, SAR. Actephila sp. (Claudie River BH 7803) [Provisional HISPID Phrase name].
