Croton verreauxii
Encyclopedia
Croton verreauxii known as the Green Native Cascarilla is a small tree or shrub growing in dry rainforest and rainforest margins in eastern Australia
.
The range of natural distribution is from Kiama (34° S) in the Illawarra
district of eastern New South Wales
to Gympie
(27° S) in south eastern Queensland
. A.G. Floyd mentions a recording of this species at Darwin, Northern Territory
.
between eucalyptus
forest and rainforest. However, it can grow in rainforest and reach a size of 20 metres tall and a trunk diameter of 20 cm.
The trunk is short, not buttressed and crooked. Branches form near the ground. The bark is dark brown, sometimes with thin vertical cracks. Small branches grey and slender, with a few irregularities such as scales and hairs. When crushed, a pleasant sweet scent may be noticed.
Leaves alternate, blunted tipped, tapering or rounded at the base. Glossy green above, somewhat duller below. An occasional orange senescent leaf will be seen in the canopy. Leaves 5 to 12 cm long, elliptic in shape, toothed or sometimes not toothed. Leaf stalks 5 to 13 mm long, channeled on the upper surface. At the top of the leaf stalks are two small glands.
Yellowish green flowers form on raceme
s in the months of between November and January. The five petaled flowers are either male or female on the same plant. The fruit is an orange/brown capsule, with three lobes. Each containing a single reddish/brown smooth, angular seed. Seed size is 2mm in diameter. Fruit matures mostly from April to September. But may occur at any other time of the year.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
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The range of natural distribution is from Kiama (34° S) in the Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
district of eastern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to Gympie
Gympie
Gympie may refer to:* Gympie, a city in Queensland, Australia** Gympie Airport** Electoral district of Gympie** Gympie Region, its local government authority* Gympie Gympie , a stinging plant...
(27° S) in south eastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. A.G. Floyd mentions a recording of this species at Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
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Description
Usually a shrub on the ecotoneEcotone
An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes but different patches of the landscape, such as forest and grassland. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local or regional...
between eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
forest and rainforest. However, it can grow in rainforest and reach a size of 20 metres tall and a trunk diameter of 20 cm.
The trunk is short, not buttressed and crooked. Branches form near the ground. The bark is dark brown, sometimes with thin vertical cracks. Small branches grey and slender, with a few irregularities such as scales and hairs. When crushed, a pleasant sweet scent may be noticed.
Leaves alternate, blunted tipped, tapering or rounded at the base. Glossy green above, somewhat duller below. An occasional orange senescent leaf will be seen in the canopy. Leaves 5 to 12 cm long, elliptic in shape, toothed or sometimes not toothed. Leaf stalks 5 to 13 mm long, channeled on the upper surface. At the top of the leaf stalks are two small glands.
Yellowish green flowers form on raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s in the months of between November and January. The five petaled flowers are either male or female on the same plant. The fruit is an orange/brown capsule, with three lobes. Each containing a single reddish/brown smooth, angular seed. Seed size is 2mm in diameter. Fruit matures mostly from April to September. But may occur at any other time of the year.