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Female flower, side view. Copyright CSIRO

Male flower and buds. Copyright Barry Jago

Male flower. Copyright Barry Jago

Leaves and fruit. Copyright CSIRO

Female flower, oblique view. Copyright CSIRO

Cotyledon stage, epigeal germination. Copyright CSIRO

Scale bar 10mm. Copyright CSIRO

10th leaf stage. Copyright CSIRO

Glochidion sumatranum

Family

Phyllanthaceae

Botanical Name

Glochidion sumatranum Miq.

Miquel, F.A.W. (1861) Fl. Ind. Bat. Suppl.: 450. Type: Sumatra ?.

Synonyms

Glochidion supra-axillare (Benth.) Domin, Bibliotheca Botanica 89(4): 872(1928), Type: ?. Glochidion ferdinandi var. supra-axillaris (Benth.) F.M.Bailey, The Queensland Flora 5: 1424(1902), Type: ?. Glochidion perakense var. supra-axillare (Benth.) Airy Shaw, Kew Bulletin 31: 349(1976), Type: ?. Glochidion perakense Hook.f., The Flora of British India 5: 317(1888), Type: PERAK; at South Belang, Kings Collector. Phyllanthus ferdinandi var. supra-axillaris Benth., Flora Australiensis 6: 96(1873), Type: Rockingham Bay, Dallachy; Rockhampton, Thozet, OShanesy..

Common name

Cheesetree; Pin Flower Tree; Sumatran Buttonwood; Umbrella Cheesetree; Buttonwood

Stem

Dead bark layered.

Leaves

Leaf blades about 7-13 x 2.5-4 cm. Midrib raised on the upper surface. Leaf bearing twigs mainly glabrous.

Flowers

Male flowers: Inflorescence pedunculate, usually supra-axillary. Flowers about 3 mm diam. without a disk. Female flowers: Flowers about 2 mm diam., pedicellate. Styles +/- columnar, slightly exserted at anthesis.

Fruit

Capsules obscurely 10-lobed, flat or concave at the apex, about 7-9 mm diam., resembling a miniature Queensland Blue pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo).

Seedlings

Cotyledons elliptic, about 6-8 mm long. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves obovate, apex acuminate, shortly mucronate, base attenuate, glabrous on the upper surface, veins about 5-8 forming loops inside the leaf blade margin; stipules triangular, apex acuminate.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in WA, NT, CYP, NEQ and southwards as far as north-eastern New South Wales. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 800 m. Favoured by disturbance, grows in a variety of habitats from well developed rain forest to fringing forest along creeks through eucalypt forest. Also occurs in Malesia and the Solomon Islands.