Argyrodendron sp. Whitsundays (W.J.McDonald+ 5831)

Provisional HISPID phrase name.

Tree to 20 m. Bark longitudinally furrowed or rippled, in places peeling back from fissures, papery or flaky, grey to whitish with yellow, grey and green blotches. Trunk buttressed with an upright branching habit.

Leaves alternate and held upright. Leaves palmately compound, three to five leaflets in each compound leaf. Stipules obscure. Petiole 1-7 cm long, petiolules reduced, 3-5 mm long, sometimes only present as a pulvinus. Leaflet blades obovate or elliptic, 6-20 cm long, 2-9 cm wide, base attenuate, margin entire and ± shallowly recurved, apex obtuse, rounded to bluntly acute. Midrib raised on the upper surface of the leaflet blade. Lower surface of the leaflet blades densely covered with small scales of varying sizes. Lateral veins about 12-15 on each side of the midrib. Domatia absent.

Inflorescence an axillary or terminal panicle, monoecious, flowers functionally unisexual (this is assumed based on other species in the genus). Perianth funnel shaped to campanulate, 5 lobed, about 5-6 mm long, about 8-10 mm diam. Outer surface of the flower buds clothed in brown or pale brown peltate scales sometimes with fimbriate margins. Inner surface of the perianth covered with peltate scales with fimbriate margins, and with stellate hairs on margins of perianth lobe. Male flowers: anthers at apex of androgynophore, about 15 per flower, 1.5 mm long, more or less sessile; remnant ovary of 5 carpelodes surrounded by anthers. Female flowers: not seen.

Not seen.

Features not available.

Endemic to Central Queensland, only recorded from rainforest around Conway Range and the Whitsundays region. Altitudinal range 0-300 m.

The leaves of this taxon have a silver rather than copper tone to undersurface of leaf and the leaf is domed in cross section (pers. comm. Irene Champion 2016).

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