Macropteranthes leiocaulis P.I.Forst.

Forster, P.I. (1994), Notes on Dansiea Byrnes and Macropteranthes F.Muell. (Combretaceae). Austrobaileya 4(2): 151. Type: Queensland. North Kennedy District: Mingela Bluff, 19 deg 53 min S, 146 dg 45 min E, 20 January 1992, P.I. Forster 9417 & A.R. Bean (holo: BRI [2 sheets + spirit]; iso: DNA, K, L, MEL, QRS).

Shrub or small tree to 25 m high, deciduous, sometimes recorded with prostrate coppiced growth. Bark smooth, pink to green-white or somewhat scaly in blotches when being shed. Branchlets with appressed hairs, becoming hairless.

New growth reddish. Leaves simple and opposite or subopposite, occasionally alternate, usually not crowded. Stipules 2, free, lanceolate, 0.1-0.3 mm long. Petioles 1-8 mm long, with appressed hairs, becoming hairless. Leaf blade elliptic, broadly elliptic or orbicular, occasionally obovate, 0.9-8 cm long, 0.4-2.3 cm wide, base cuneate or attenuate, margin entire with 2-8 glands along each margin, apex obtuse, retuse or emarginate with a small tuft of hairs in notch or at tip (usually visible in young leaves). Domatia absent. Leaves sparsely hairy with appressed hairs, becoming hairless. Lateral veins 4-6 pairs; translucent dots small, numerous ± visible under magnification.

Inflorescence axillary, solitary or two-flowered umbel. Flowers bisexual, 5- merous, actinomorphic, 1, 0.8-1.8 cm diam. Pedicels 1.8-2 mm long. Calyx partially obscured by two persistent bracteoles .35-1.1 cm long, fused to the hypanthium, calyx tube visible above bracteoles. Calyx produced into a tube above the ovary with five shallow triangular lobes, lobes and tube 4.8-9 mm long, green, calyx tube and lobes with appressed hairs on outer surface. Petals broadly ovate to obovate, 2.5-7 mm long, external surface glabrous and internal surface densely hairy or both surfaces hairy, free, white. Stamens 10, exserted, attached in two series or rings to the inner surface of the hypanthium, the stamens of the upper ring alternating with the corolla lobes while the stamens of the lower ring are opposite the corolla lobes. Disc narrow, ovary inferior, 1-locular, style free.

Mature fruits 4 winged with persistent bracteoles adhering to calyx and terminating in enlarged calyx lobes, 1.5-1.7 cm long, wings 12-15 mm wide, hairless, yellowish. Seed solitary.

Features not available.

Occurs in CEQ, known from Mingela Bluff south of Townsville to Binjour Plateau west of Maryborough in dry rainforest and vine thicket communities.

This species is very similar to Macropteranthes fitzalanii. According to Forster (1994) M. leiocaulis is distinguished from the former species by the hairy calyx tube, the bracteoles shorter than the calyx and the shorter flower pedicels. This profile information and associated coding has been adapted from Forster (1994) and Harden et al. (2014).