Terminalia sericocarpa

Family

Combretaceae

Botanical Name

Terminalia sericocarpa F.Muell.

Mueller, F.J.H. von (1875) Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 9: 159. Type: Prope Rockhampton, Thozet; ad Mount Elliott, Fitzalan; pone Rockinghams Bay, Dallachy..

Synonyms

Myrobalanus sericocarpa (F.Muell.) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 1: 237(1891), Type: ?.

Common name

Bandicoot; Sovereignwood; Plum, Damson; Damson Plum; Damson

Stem

Deciduous; leafless for a period in September or October. Outer dead bark usually quite hard. Blaze fibres often interlocked.

Leaves

Leaf blades about 6-13.5 x 3-6 cm. Small oil dots visible with a lens. Domatia are foveoles. Old leaves turn red prior to falling.

Flowers

Inflorescence longer or shorter than the leaves, bracts narrowly triangular, about 1-2 mm long, caducous. Perianth tube sericeous outside, lobes triangular, about 1.5 x 2 mm, apex narrowly acute or acuminate, glabrous or with scattered silky hairs inside. Staminal filaments glabrous, about 2-3 mm long. Disk villous. Style villous.

Fruit

Mature fruits sparsely sericeous, glabrescent, ovoid, slightly compressed, about 13-18 x 8-10 mm, obscurely angled. Seed about 7-8 x 2 mm, cotyledons convolute.

Seedlings

Cotyledons wider than long, 8-10 x 10-15 mm, apex broadly emarginate, base rounded. Oil dots small, irregular. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade obovate or elongate-obovate, apex acuminate, base attenuate, hairy at least along midrib and margin of leaf blade; oil dots small, visible with a lens; midrib raised on the upper surface of the leaf blade; petiole, stem and terminal bud densely clothed in reddish brown hairs.

Distribution and Ecology

Endemic to Australia, occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ and southwards as far as coastal central Queensland. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 750 m. Usually grows in well developed rain forest but also found in drier rain forest, monsoon forest and gallery forest. Produces large crops of small fruits which appear to be an important food resource for a number of fruit eating birds.

Natural History

Fruit eaten by Cassowaries and Fruit Pigeons. Cooper & Cooper (1994).

Produces a useful general constructional purpose timber. Wood specific gravity 0.64. Cause et al. (1989).