Melicytus novae-zelandiae subsp. centurionis P.S.Green APNI* Description: Shrub or small tree to 5 m. Young stems glabrous.
Leaves leathery, glabrous; petiole 2–5 mm long; lamina oblanceolate-elliptic, 4–7 cm long, 1.5–2.7 cm broad (sometimes as small as 3.5 x 1.2 cm), narrowly cuneate at base, crenate to serrate with 3–5 or 6–8 teeth per side, acute to rounded at apex, with 4–7 primary veins on each side of midrib.
Inflorescence axillary or on stems below leaves, 1- or 2-flowered; pedicels 1.5–2 mm long. Calyx lobes c. 1 mm long, rounded, erose. Petals oblong, 2.5–4 mm long, rounded, greenish yellow, tips ±reflexed at anthesis. Stamens free, with a dorsal membrane of 5 lanceolate lobes, 2 mm long. Ovary narrow-ovoid, 2.5 mm long; style with 2 recurved lobes.
Berry globular, 6 mm long, purple; style persistent.
Flowering: Flowers mid August–mid October
Distribution and occurrence: Lord Howe Is. Endemic and rare in the forest at intermediate altitudes.
NSW subdivisions: LHI
First collected by the military Captain James Doran McComish (1881-1948) and therefore named after him. He studied the flora and collected extensively on Lord Howe Is. in the 1930s.
| The single subspecies in NSW. Characters and distribution as for the species in NSW. |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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