Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Backhousia gundarara M.D.Barrett, Craven & R.L.Barrett


Shrub (woody or herbaceous, 1-6 m tall)
Tree
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Flower. © R.L. Barrett
Flowers. © R.L. Barrett
Leaves and flowers. © R.L. Barrett
Leaves and flowers. © R.L. Barrett
Leaves. © R.L. Barrett
Leaf. © R.L. Barrett
Leaf. © R.L. Barrett
Trunk and bark. © R.L. Barrett
Trunk and bark. © R.L. Barrett
Family

Harrington, M.G. et al (2012) Australian Systematic Botany 25: 409-412. Type: Western Australia: Northern Botanical Province: Caroline Range, M.D. Barrett & R.L. Barrett MDB 2885, 27 March 2010.

Stem

Single- to multi-stemmed shrub or small tree to 7 m high and trunk to 20 cm diameter. Bark deciduous to base, smooth and peeling. Branchlets flattened to slightly 4-ribbed when young, rounded when older.

Leaves

Leaves simple, opposite, ovate to elliptic or sometimes broadly ovate, 17-35 x 11-24 mm, slightly to distinctly discolorous, both surfaces hairy, prominent oil glands on both surfaces, pinnately veined with (5-)10-12 lateral veins each side of midvein; midvein flat or slightly sunken above; ; intramarginal vein visible; apex obtuse to broadly acute, not or very weakly and abruptly acuminate; base broadly cuneate to rounded; margin flat or slightly recurved, entire to crenate. Stipules falling early, subulate, 0.3-0.4mm long.

Flowers

Inflorescence terminal or axillary arranged in branched cymes, 6-25 or more flowers in total. Flowers white; sepals 4, unequal, hairy on both surfaces; petals 4, white, ovate, longer than sepals, hairy on both surfaces, falling early; stamens numerous (57-59), free, white, filaments much longer than petals and sepals, versatile, opening by lateral slits; style filiform, straight, 5.5 mm long, gradually tapering to apex, hairy; ovary 2-locular; nectaries absent.

Fruit

Fruit dry, indehiscent, enclosed in the hypanthium, 6 - 7 x 4.5 - 5.0 including persistent calyx lobes, 4-5 x 2-3 excluding calyx lobes, calyx lobes +/- ascending, style persistent.

Seedlings

Features not available.

Distribution and Ecology

Endemic to WA, currently known only from the upper reaches of the Prince Regent River. Grows in rainforest on sandy soils derived from basalt and sandstone.

Synonyms

Backhousia sp. Prince Regent (W.O'Sullivan & D.Dureau WODD 42) [HISPID Phrase Name]

RFK Code
3662
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