Alchornea thozetiana (Baill.) Baill. ex Benth.

Bentham, G. (1873) Flora Australiensis 6: 137.

Thozet's holly

A small tree not exceeding 30 cm dbh, often flowering and fruiting as a shrub.

About 2-4 flat glands on the underside of the leaf blade near its junction with the petiole. Leaf blades about 9-20 x 2.5-6.5 cm. Small oil dots visible with a lens. Midrib raised on the upper surface. Domatia are inconspicuous tufts of hair.

Male flowers: Flowers in spikes, fascicles or panicles, branches about 5-10 cm long. Female flowers: Flowers about 7 mm diam., in spikes or racemes about 5-10 cm long. Stigmas +/- subulate, about 3 mm long.

Capsules pubescent +/- globular, 3-lobed, about 7-8 x 9-10 mm. Seeds about 6 x 3.5-4 mm.

Cotyledons almost orbicular, about 17-19 mm diam., the petiole clothed in short pale hairs. First pair of leaves with toothed margins, stipules triangular, about 1 mm long. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves with recurved or hooked teeth, each with a pale gland at the apex; stipules triangular at the base but drawn out to a long fine point at the apex, hairy. Seed germination time 31 to 38 days.

Probably endemic to Queensland, occurs in CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards to south-eastern Queensland. Altitudinal range in NEQ from near sea level to 500 m. Grows in monsoon forest and the drier types of rain forest.