Phaleria biflora

Family

Thymelaeaceae

Botanical Name

Phaleria biflora (C.T.White) Herber

B.E. Herber (2001) Austrobaileya 6: 96. Type: ?.

Synonyms

Oreodendron biflorum C.T.White, Contributions from the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University 4: 74(1933), Type: Qld, Mt Alexander, alt. 1200 m., Dec 18, S. F. Kajewski 1499.

Stem

Blaze very fibrous. Blaze odour noticeable but difficult to describe.

Leaves

Twig bark rather strong and fibrous when stripped and emitting a rather unpleasant odour. Leaf blades about 5-8 x 1.6-4 cm.

Flowers

Flowers sessile on a common peduncle. Perianth red outside but cream on the inner surface. Perianth tube (hypanthium) about 10-12 mm long, lobes about 3 mm long, glabrous on the outer surface, but puberulent on the inner surface. Anthers exserted, projecting beyond the perianth tube (hypanthium).

Fruit

Fruits about 12-15 x 7-8 mm. Seeds about 8 x 3.5-6 mm.

Seedlings

Cotyledons obovate, fleshy, without venation. First few pairs of leaves linear. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves ovate, apex acuminate, base cuneate. Seedling glabrous in all parts.

Distribution and Ecology

Endemic to NEQ, restricted to the Thornton Peak and Mt Spurgeon-Mt Lewis areas. Altitudinal range from 1000-1200 m. Grows as an understory tree in mountain rain forests often found in stunted rain forest on windswept ridges.