Argophyllum verae P.I.Forst.

Forster, P.I. (1990) Austrobaileya 3(2): 173. Type: 1 km N of Maloneys Springs, 12 27 S, 142 55 E, 19 June 1989, P.I.Forster 5285 & M.C.Tucker; holo: BRI; iso: CANB, K, MEL, MO, P, QRS.

Shrub 1.5-2 m high. Hairs on new growth white or creamy; hairs more than 10 cm from growing point creamy-white.

Petiole 12-30 mm long; fully expanded lamina broadly elliptical, 89-174 mm long, 30-95 mm wide, 1.8-2.4 times longer than wide; 8 or 9 secondary veins on either side of midrib. Lamina apex acute; base cuneate, not oblique or oblique at base by up to 9 mm. Lamina margins entire or denticulate (obscurely toothed), with teeth all about the same length, 19-25 on each side of the lamina, the teeth 0.3-0.7 mm long. Upper surface of fully expanded lamina greygreen, with sparse to moderately dense hairs; hairs appressed or sometimes ascending, 0.7-1 mm long. Lower surface of lamina white, hairs obliquely ascending; secondary veins white, raised; tertiary veins white, ± flush with indumentum.

Inflorescences axillary, paniculate, 23-68 mm long, densely tomentose, primary axis 10-47 mm long, secondary branches 5-20 mm long, bracts deltate, 1.5-7.5 mm long. Pedicels 0.6-2 mm long; flowering hypanthium cupular, 3-3.4 mm diameter. Flowers about 4-5 mm diam. Calyx lobes 1.5-2.3 mm long; petals 2.7-3.3 mm long, white, corolla appendages white, 1.1-1.5 mm long. Staminal filaments 1-1.6 mm long; anthers 0.5-0.8 mm long. Style 0.8-1.4 mm long; ovary 2-locular. Ovary surrounded by a yellow-orange disk. Ovules numerous.

Capsules and peduncles densely clothed in fine white hairs. Capsules with cupular hypanthium, 2.6-3 mm long, 2.6-4 mm diameter, teeth 4. Seeds numerous, 0.4-0.5 mm long, orbicular. Testa wrinkled. Embryo ellipsoid, very small, less than 0.25 mm long.

Cotyledons elliptic, about 2 x 1.5 mm, venation not visible. First leaves with white hispid hairs on both the upper and lower surfaces. Margin with a few irregular blunt teeth. At the tenth leaf stage: stem, petiole and the underside of the leaf blade appear white as the result of a covering of sericeous silky hairs. Leaf blade elliptic to ovate, apex acute, base cuneate to obtuse. Margin with 20-30 short teeth on each side. Lateral veins about 9 on each side of the midrib. Seed germination time 294 to 659 days.

Endemic to Queensland, occurs in CYP and NEQ. Altitudinal range from 100-450 m. Usually grows on clifflines bordering vine thickets or notophyll vine forests on shallow soils over sandstone (Glennie Tableland), and in wind-sheared microphyll/notophyll vine forest on granite boulder slopes near the coast (Cape Melville).