Ripogonum brevifolium Conran & Clifford

Conran, J.G. & Clifford, H.T. in George, A.S. (ed.) (1986), Smilacaceae. Flora of Australia 46: 189. Type: "Stony Ck, 4 km E of Didcot, Biggenden Shire, Qld, 23 Aug. 1983, P.I.Forster 1692; holo: BRI." [Correct collection date is 10 September 1983 (pers. comm. P.I.Forster, Dec. 2013)].

Stoutly branched climber to c. 10 m, or a straggling shrub when young, twining. Hooks or prickles 1-3 mm long, present or absent, young stems sparsely hairy, older stems mostly hairless.

Leaves simple, opposite or alternate, young leaves yellow to reddish. Stipules absent. Petiole 4-8 mm long, often ± twisted, hairless. Leaf blade elliptic, 3-10 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, base attenuate or cuneate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate. Longitudinally veined with 3 prominent longitudinal veins and a fine marginal vein. Both surfaces hairless.

Inflorescences axillary, few to numerous sessile flowers in spikes. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, 3-merous. Tepals arranged in 2 whorls of 3, 6-8 mm long, white or cream. Stamens 6, opposite and alternating with tepals, 6-9 mm long, filaments 1-2  mm long, anthers 5-7 mm long; ovary superior, hairless, 3-locular; style 1-2 mm long, stigma 3-lobed.

Fruit a fleshy berry, globose, 8-20 mm long, 8-20 mm diam., black. Seeds 1 to few, ovoid, 5-10 mm diam; yellow brown.

Features not available.

Occurs in CEQ and southwards to central coastal New South Wales. Grows in dry rainforest.

This profile information and associated coding has been adapted from Conran & Clifford (1986), Conran (1998), and Harden et al. (2014).