Common name: Thin-leaved Coondoo
Planchonella chartacea (F.Muell. ex Benth.) H.J.Lam APNI* Synonyms: Pouteria chartacea (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Baehni APNI* Achras chartacea F.Muell. ex Benth. APNI*
Description: Small tree, trunk strongly fluted and flanged at base in larger trees; crown with leaves often turning red before falling; latex milky, rather scant in petioles, but more obvious in young stems when cut or broken; buds and young stems with appressed brownish T-shaped hairs, stems soon becoming hairless.
Leaves alternate, obovate to oblanceolate, mostly 6–18 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, apex bluntly acuminate, base gradually tapering, thin and papery, surfaces glabrescent, glossy and green, lower surface paler, midvein sometimes yellowish, pinnately veined with 7–15 pairs of lateral veins, distinct on both surfaces; petiole 3–10 mm long.
Flowers axillary and often ramiflorous, solitary or 3–7-flowered clusters. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous. Sepals 5, fused at base. Petals fused to halfway, 4.5–5.5 mm long, whitish or greenish. Stamens 5, staminodes 5 alternating with the corolla lobes.
Fruit ovoid, globose or ellipsoid, 15–22 mm long, green turning purplish black, with persistent style at apex and sepals at base, 2–5-seeded; seeds 1–5, 0.7–1.5 cm long, brown with a narrow whitish scar.
Flowering: Fruit ripe May–October.
Distribution and occurrence: In riverine and littoral rainforest north from Byron Bay; not common.
NSW subdivisions: NC
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by GJ Harden (1990); updated S. McCune (Aug 2019) Taxon concept: Flora of NSW vol. 1 (1990); R.J.F. Henderson (Ed) (2002)
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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