Cryptocarya floydii
Encyclopedia
Cryptocarya floydii is an Australian rainforest
tree. It occurs in steep dry rocky gullies in northern New South Wales
and adjacent areas in Queensland as far north as Bunya Mountains National Park
. It grows as far south as the upper gullies of the Guy Fawkes River
and the Macleay River
. The common name is Gorge Laurel or Glenugie Laurel, after the type locality of Glenugie Peak, near Grafton, New South Wales
.
This laurel is considered rare, with a ROTAP
rating of 3RCi. It is named after the eminent rainforest botanist Alexander Floyd
.
Leaves 30 to 110 mm long, 10 to 35 mm wide Leaves broad lanceolate in shape with a long tip and a yellow midrib.
, globular around 12 mm long. A thin layer of flesh over the relatively large seed would offer little nourishment for feeding birds. Alexander Floyd
considers this fruit to be mimetic. As the fruit resembles more fleshy fruits such as the vine Tetrastigma nitens
. The seed is ribbed and pointed as is the case with many Cryptocarya
seeds. Fruit matures from February to April.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree. It occurs in steep dry rocky gullies in northern 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...
and adjacent areas in Queensland as far north as Bunya Mountains National Park
Bunya Mountains National Park
Bunya Mountains is a national park in Queensland, Australia. The park includes much of the mountain range called the Bunya Mountains. The mountains are covered by the most westerly forests in southern Queensland and the largest area of bunya pines remaining in the world...
. It grows as far south as the upper gullies of the Guy Fawkes River
Guy Fawkes River
The Guy Fawkes River is a river in northern New South Wales, Australia that runs from the south to north along the valley of the Demon Fault Line in the Guy Fawkes River National Park....
and the Macleay River
Macleay River
The Macleay River is a major river on the Mid North Coast , Australia.The headwaters of the Macleay River rise as the Gara River on the eastern side of the Northern Tablelands near Armidale and Walcha, New South Wales. From here the Chandler River, Styx River and Apsley Rivers are important...
. The common name is Gorge Laurel or Glenugie Laurel, after the type locality of Glenugie Peak, near Grafton, New South Wales
Grafton, New South Wales
The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...
.
This laurel is considered rare, with a 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 3RCi. It is named after the eminent rainforest botanist Alexander Floyd
Alexander Floyd
Alexander Geoffrey Floyd is an Australian botanist with an expert knowledge of rainforest plants, particularly the rainforest trees of New South Wales. He worked with the New South Wales Forestry Commission, the Department of Forestry in Papua-New Guinea and the National Parks and Wildlife Service...
.
Description
A small tree with a dark dense crown of leaves, up to 15 metres tall and with a trunk diameter of 25 cm. The trunk is irregular, sometimes fluted and buttressed and multi stemmed. Dark coloured bark, tough to touch with wrinkles, bumps and vertical lines. Small branches dark green to black, leaf buds with soft hairs.Leaves 30 to 110 mm long, 10 to 35 mm wide Leaves broad lanceolate in shape with a long tip and a yellow midrib.
Flowers & fruit
Fragrant pale green flowers form from October to November. Petals 1 mm long. The fruit is a black shiny drupeDrupe
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...
, globular around 12 mm long. A thin layer of flesh over the relatively large seed would offer little nourishment for feeding birds. Alexander Floyd
Alexander Floyd
Alexander Geoffrey Floyd is an Australian botanist with an expert knowledge of rainforest plants, particularly the rainforest trees of New South Wales. He worked with the New South Wales Forestry Commission, the Department of Forestry in Papua-New Guinea and the National Parks and Wildlife Service...
considers this fruit to be mimetic. As the fruit resembles more fleshy fruits such as the vine Tetrastigma nitens
Tetrastigma nitens
Tetrastigma nitens is a species of liana native to rainforests, dry rainforest and gallery forest of tropical and subtropical eastern Australia....
. The seed is ribbed and pointed as is the case with many Cryptocarya
Cryptocarya
Cryptocarya is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropic, Afrotropic, Indomalaya, and Australasia ecozones.-Overview:...
seeds. Fruit matures from February to April.