Aglaia tomentosa

Family

Meliaceae

Botanical Name

Aglaia tomentosa Teijsm. & Binn.

Teijsmann, J.E. & Binnendijk, S. (1864) Natuurkundig Tijdshrift voor Nederlandsch Indi 27: 43. Type: Lecto: Banka Island, Plangas Djiboes, Teysmann, BO.

Synonyms

Aglaia ferruginea C.T.White & W.D.Francis, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 35: 66(1924), Type: Atherton Tableland, C.T. White (type);.

Common name

Rusty Amoora; Rusty Boodyarra; Rusty Aglaia

Stem

A small tree seldom exceeding 30 cm dbh. White granular and dark fibrous stripes in the outer blaze.

Leaves

Terminal buds, young shoots, leafy twigs, compound leaf axis and midrib on the underside of the leaflet blades densely clothed in dark brown or rusty brown woolly hairs. Leaflet stalks quite short. Leaflet blades about 5-15 x 2.5-6 cm. Stellate hairs visible with a lens on the underside of the leaflet blades, petioles, rhachis and leaflet stalk. Leaflets about five per compound leaf.

Flowers

Flowers about 1-4 mm diam. Calyx outer surface stellate hairy, corolla outer surface glabrous.

Fruit

Fruits obovoid, about 1.6-2.5 x 1.2-1.7 cm, ferruginously stellate hairy at maturity. Aril mucilaginous. Cotyledons transversely oriented in the seed.

Seedlings

At the tenth leaf stage: terminal bud, stem, petiole and upper and lower surface of leaves, clothed in numerous pale brown stellate hairs.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in CYP, NEQ and particularly in the area between Cooktown and Innisfail. Altitudinal range from 80-1000 m. Grows as an understory tree in well developed rain forest on a variety of sites but is probably more common in upland situations. Also occurs in Asia and Malesia.