Daphnandra micrantha
Encyclopedia
Daphnandra micrantha, the Socketwood or Manning River Socketwood is a rainforest
tree in eastern Australia
. It grows near streams in various types of rainforest. Restricted to the Manning River
and Hastings River
valleys (31° S) of northern eastern New South Wales
. Also seen in ecotone
areas dominated by Brush Box and Tallowwood
.
family Atherospermataceae
. Previously considered one species, it is now published as four different types of Socketwood by Richard Schodde. (See Daphnandra
). The generic name Daphnandra
refers to a similarity of the anthers of the Bay Laurel
. Greek daphne refers to the Bay Laurel, and andros from the Greek for man. Micanthra from the Greek refers to small flowers. A feature of Daphnandra apatela
is where larger branchlets meet the main trunk, resembling a "ball and socket" type joint. Hence the common name of Socketwood for this group of trees.
s with one seed.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree 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...
. It grows near streams in various types of rainforest. Restricted to the Manning River
Manning River
The Manning River is a river in the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia that flows through the Manning Valley. It is one of Australia's few large river systems not to be dammed for water supply purposes anywhere along its catchment...
and Hastings River
Hastings River
The Hastings River is a large river on the Mid North Coast of the Australian state of New South Wales that empties into the Tasman Sea, a branch of the South Pacific Ocean, at Port Macquarie....
valleys (31° S) of northern 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...
. Also seen in ecotone
Ecotone
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...
areas dominated by Brush Box and Tallowwood
Tallowwood
Tallowwood is a native Eucalypt species common in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. It grows in forests near the coast on moderate to fertile soils in a protected, sunny position. Tallowwood is drought and frost tender....
.
Naming & Taxonomy
A member of the ancient GondwanaGondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
family Atherospermataceae
Atherospermataceae
The Atherospermataceae, commonly known as the southern sassafrases, are a family of broadleaf evergreen trees and shrubs. The family includes 14 species in seven genera. The atherosperms are native to the southern hemisphere, with two species native to southern Chile and 12 species native to...
. Previously considered one species, it is now published as four different types of Socketwood by Richard Schodde. (See Daphnandra
Daphnandra
Daphnandra is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Atherospermataceae, or formerly Monimiaceae. The genus is endemic to Australia.There are six species, occurring in New South Wales and Queensland:...
). The generic name Daphnandra
Daphnandra
Daphnandra is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Atherospermataceae, or formerly Monimiaceae. The genus is endemic to Australia.There are six species, occurring in New South Wales and Queensland:...
refers to a similarity of the anthers of the Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel
The bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...
. Greek daphne refers to the Bay Laurel, and andros from the Greek for man. Micanthra from the Greek refers to small flowers. A feature of Daphnandra apatela
Daphnandra apatela
Daphnandra apatela, the Socketwood, Light Yellowwood or Canary Socketwood is a common rainforest tree in eastern Australia. It grows in the more fertile alluvial soils and basaltic soils...
is where larger branchlets meet the main trunk, resembling a "ball and socket" type joint. Hence the common name of Socketwood for this group of trees.
Description
A small to medium sized tree, sometimes reaching 20 metres tall and with a trunk diameter of 25 cm. The bark is fawnish cream in colour, with vertical cracks. The small branches lack the soft downy hairs of other Socketwood types. Branchlets are flattened where they join the main stem.Leaves
Leaves opposite on the stem. 7 to 17 cm long, 1 to 5 cm wide, finely toothed. Approximately 14 teeth per side. Midrib raised below the leaf, but sunken above. Five pairs of lateral veins, more evident below the leaf. Leaf stem 3 to 8 mm long.Flowers and fruit
Small flowers form from June to October, being greenish white or pinkish green. The fruit is a woody receptacle, it splits in two, releasing hairy wind blown acheneAchene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
s with one seed.