Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Palmeria scandens F.Muell.


Vine
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Female flowers. © Barry Jago
Dehisced fruits. © W. T. Cooper
Leaves and dehisced fruit. © CSIRO
Cotyledon stage, epigeal germination. © CSIRO
10th leaf stage. © CSIRO
Vine stem bark and vine stem transverse section. © CSIRO
Family

Mueller, F.J.H. von (1864) Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 4: 152. Type: Qld, Rockingham Bay, Dallachy; Lecto: MEL 2050674. Fide T. Whiffin & D. Foreman (2007).

Common name

Anchor Vine; Vine, Anchor

Stem

Vine stem diameters to 20 cm recorded.

Leaves

Leaf blades about 4.5-19 x 2-9 cm, petioles about 0.4-1.4 cm long. Lateral veins forming fairly definite loops inside the blade margin. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf blade sparsely clothed in simple hairs. Stellate hairs often visible on the underside of the leaf blade. Oak grain in the twigs.

Flowers

Male flowers: Inflorescence about 7-9 cm long, flowers about 7-9 mm diam. Tepals hooded, about 4 mm long, outer surface densely clothed in stellate hairs. Anthers +/- sessile, hairy, about 1 mm long, about 6 associated with each tepal. Female flowers: Inflorescence about 1-2 cm long, clothed in matted white hairs. Flowers about 3 mm diam., tepals difficult to distinguish. The inner surface of the receptacle densely clothed in bristly hairs with the carpels borne amongst the hairs. Carpels 11-15 per flower, each carpel about 0.5 mm long. Ovules 1 per carpel.

Fruit

Fruiting receptacle green on the outer surface but red and hairy on the inner surface, about 15-25 mm diam. Fruiting carpels black and shiny, about 1-9 per receptacle. Seeds about 5-6 mm diam., obtuse at one end but pointed at the other. Embryo about 1-1.5 mm long, cotyledons divergent, adaxial surfaces not appressed. Radicle shorter than the cotyledons.

Seedlings

Cotyledons cordate, about 12-15 x 12-15 mm, clothed in pale simple hairs on both the upper and lower surfaces. First pair of leaves elliptic, both the upper and lower surfaces clothed in pale simple and stellate hairs. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade elliptic, about 6-10 x 2-4 cm, both the upper and lower surfaces clothed in pale hairs, apex acuminate, base cuneate, petiole about 0.3-0.5 cm long. Lateral veins forming loops well inside the blade margin. Roots emit an aromatic or spicy odour when crushed. Seed germination time 49 to 126 days.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in CYP, NEQ, CEQ and southwards as far as south-eastern New South Wales. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 1500 m. Grows in lowland, upland and mountain rain forest. Also occurs in New Guinea.

Synonyms
Palmeria scandens var. typica Domin, Bibliotheca Botanica 89(4): 674(1928), Type: Rockingham Bay, Dallachy.
RFK Code
2019
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