Endiandra introrsa
Encyclopedia
Endiandra introrsa, is a rare rainforest
tree growing in eastern Australia
. Listed with a Rare or Threatened Australian Plants (ROTAP
) rating of 3RCa. Its habitat is warm temperate rainforest on the poorer rainforest soils, mostly over 300 metres in altitude, and its range of natural distribution is from near Dorrigo
to various sites in the state of Queensland
.
Common names include Red Plum, Dorrigo Plum and Red Walnut, although the tree is neither a plum nor walnut, being a laurel
. The specific epithet "introrsa" refers to the openings of the flower anthers being on the inner side.
Its leaves are simple, alternate or rarely opposite on the stem, ovate
-lanceolate in shape, 5 to 9 cm long and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide, and glossy green above but waxy greyish below with a long blunt leaf tip. The leaf stem is between 10 and 12 mm long, and yellow leaf veins are evident above and below the leaf.
s are shorter than the leaves, which appear from the leaf axils.
The fruit matures in January to March, being a large fleshy drupe
, 3 to 6 cm in diameter and fairly round in shape, though often being broader than deep. The colour is red, maturing to near black. It resembles a plum, hence the tree's common name. Inside is a single large seed. Removal of the flesh should be undertaken before planting the seed. Germination is slow, but fairly reliable; it commences after around five or six months, and is complete a few months later.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree growing in eastern Australia
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...
. Listed with a Rare or Threatened Australian Plants (ROTAP
ROTAP
Rare or Threatened Australian Plants, usually abbreviated to ROTAP, is a list of rare or threatened Australian plant taxa. Developed and maintained by the CSIRO, the most recent edition lists 5031 taxa. The list uses a binary coding system based on the IUCN Red List categories for "Presumed...
) rating of 3RCa. Its habitat is warm temperate rainforest on the poorer rainforest soils, mostly over 300 metres in altitude, and its range of natural distribution is from near Dorrigo
Dorrigo, New South Wales
Dorrigo is a small town located on the Waterfall Way in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 580 kilometres north of the state capital, Sydney via the Pacific Highway, and 60 kilometres from the coastal city of Coffs Harbour. The town is situated on the Dorrigo Plateau near the...
to various sites in the state of 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...
.
Common names include Red Plum, Dorrigo Plum and Red Walnut, although the tree is neither a plum nor walnut, being a laurel
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
. The specific epithet "introrsa" refers to the openings of the flower anthers being on the inner side.
Description
Endiandra introrsa is a tree reaching 40 metres tall with a trunk diameter of 90 cm. The base of the tree may be slightly buttressed and its trunk is cylindrical with some irregularities, bumps and depressions in the reddish brown bark. Its small branches are covered in downy hairs.Its leaves are simple, alternate or rarely opposite on the stem, ovate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
-lanceolate in shape, 5 to 9 cm long and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide, and glossy green above but waxy greyish below with a long blunt leaf tip. The leaf stem is between 10 and 12 mm long, and yellow leaf veins are evident above and below the leaf.
Flowers, fruit and regeneration
Small yellowish green flowers form between October and November. The paniclePanicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
s are shorter than the leaves, which appear from the leaf axils.
The fruit matures in January to March, being a large fleshy drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
, 3 to 6 cm in diameter and fairly round in shape, though often being broader than deep. The colour is red, maturing to near black. It resembles a plum, hence the tree's common name. Inside is a single large seed. Removal of the flesh should be undertaken before planting the seed. Germination is slow, but fairly reliable; it commences after around five or six months, and is complete a few months later.