Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Parapachygone longifolia (F.M.Bailey) Forman


Vine
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Female flowers. © Barry Jago
Male flowers. © Barry Jago
© Barry Jago
© Barry Jago
Fruit, 3 views, transverse section and seed. © W. T. Cooper
Scale bar 10mm. © CSIRO
Cotyledon stage, hypogeal germination. © CSIRO
10th leaf stage. © CSIRO
Vine stem bark and vine stem transverse section. © CSIRO
Family

Forman, L.L. (2007) Flora of Australia 2: 462.

Stem

Vine stem diameters to 3 cm recorded and this species may not grow much larger. Bark minutely tessellated.

Leaves

Leaf blades rather thick and leathery, about 11-26 x 3-12 cm, petioles about 2-5.5 cm long, attached just inside the leaf blade margin, i.e. just peltate or almost peltate.

Flowers

Male flowers borne in large axillary panicles, individual flowers about 4 mm diam. Sepals imbricate, in 2 or 3 whorls, the outer sepals bract-like and about 1.5 mm long, the innermost sepals petal-like, about 3.5 mm long. Petals thick and fleshy, obovate, about 1.5 mm long. Stamens 12, about 2.1 mm long, clavate, anthers 4-celled. Female flowers: flowers about 5 mm diam. Sepals imbricate, in 3 or 4 whorls, the outermost sepals bract-like, about 1.1 mm long, the innermost cup-like and 4 mm long. Petals rather thick, about 2 mm long. Carpels 4, each carpel about 1.8 mm long. Stigmatic surface broad, disk-like and undulate. Ovules 1 per carpel.

Fruit

Fruits laterally compressed, sessile, about 35-40 x 28-35 mm. Style remnant close to the base or point of attachment of the fruiting carpel. Seeds (endocarps) shell-shaped (nautilus) about 22-27 x 18-24 mm. Surface sculptured. Embryo U-shaped. Cotyledons thick and fleshy almost forming a loop. Radicle about 2 mm long.

Seedlings

Six or more cataphylls produced before the first pair of true leaves. First pair of true leaves ovate, about 40-63 x 15-18 mm, apex acuminate, base cordate to auriculate. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade ovate to elliptic, about 12-17.5 x 4.5-7 cm, apex shortly acuminate, base cordate to auriculate, almost peltate. Petiole about 2-2.5 cm long. Lateral veins forming indistinct loops inside the blade margin. Petiole base pustulate, pulvini pustulate. Midrib +/- flush with the upper surface. Seed germination time 32 to 97 days.

Distribution and Ecology

Endemic to NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 750 m. Grows in well developed lowland and upland rain forest.

Synonyms
Pachygone longifolia F.M.Bailey, The Queensland Flora 1: 34(1899), Type: Queensland, Mourilyan Harbour, W. Mugford 37. Holo: BRI.
RFK Code
2244
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