Backhousia bancroftii

Family

Myrtaceae

Botanical Name

Backhousia bancroftii F.M.Bailey

Bailey, F.M. (1886) A Synopsis of the Queensland Flora, Supplement 1: 24. Type: Johnstone River..

Common name

Johnstone River Hardwood; Langdon's Hardwood

Stem

Pale brown, hard, brittle stripes in the blaze.

Leaves

Oil dots visible with a lens if not visible to the naked eye. Leaf blades about 55-95 x 25-50 mm. Midrib depressed on the upper surface of the leaf blade. About 9-15 main lateral veins forming loops or an intramarginal vein well inside the margin, sometimes with another smaller vein further out. Younger leaf bearing twigs 4-angled or shortly 4-winged.

Flowers

Petals about 5 mm long. Anthers about 0.6-0.8 mm long.

Fruit

Fruits about 5-7 mm diam., excluding the calyx lobes.

Seedlings

Cotyledons attenuate at the base, about 7-9 mm wide, oil dots small. At the tenth leaf stage: leaf blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly ovate, tapering to a fine acuminate apex.

Distribution and Ecology

Endemic to NEQ, restricted to the area between Cooktown and Innisfail. Altitudinal range from sea level to 700 m. Grows in well developed rain forest, at times forming almost pure, even aged stands, particularly in the Johnstone River catchment.

Natural History

Produces a useful general purpose construction timber.

Wood specific gravity 1.00. Cause et al. (1989).

NEQ

X

Tree

X

RFK Code

341