Endiandra virens
Encyclopedia
Endiandra virens is an Australian tree in the laurel family
. Growing from Boorganna Nature Reserve
north west of Taree, New South Wales
to Kin Kin in Southern Queensland
. Common names include White Apple and Plumwood.
Endiandra virens is an understorey rainforest
tree. The habitat is various types of rainforest, usually on the poorer soils at low altitude.
The midrib, lateral veins and net veins are visible on both surfaces, raised and more evident under the leaf. Midrib raised under the leaf, somewhat depressed on the upper leaf surface.
s in the months of March to May. The panicle is shorter than a leaf.
The fruit matures from April to July, though sometimes as late as November. A very large globular drupe
, 4 to 10 cm in diameter. Coloured yellow, orange or red when mature. The single seed is 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Removal of the fleshy aril
is advised before planting the seeds.
while NSW plants are quite dissimilar to E. pubens.
The type specimen of Endiandra lowiana is from Maroochie (Yandina), While the type for Endiandra virens is from the Clarence River see (APNI) thus should the QLD populations prove to be a distinct species they would be called Endiandra lowiana while NSW populations would retain the name Endiandra virens genetic and more detailed morphological studies would help to clarify the status of these two taxa.
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...
. Growing from Boorganna Nature Reserve
Boorganna Nature Reserve
Boorganna Nature Reserve is located north west of Taree on the Comboyne Plateau in New South Wales, Australia. Managed by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. It features various forest types, including stands of sub tropical rainforest...
north west of Taree, New South Wales
Taree, New South Wales
Taree is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of around 20,000 people and is the centre of a significant agricultural district. It is 16 km from the sea coast,...
to Kin Kin in Southern 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 White Apple and Plumwood.
Endiandra virens is an understorey rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree. The habitat is various types of rainforest, usually on the poorer soils at low altitude.
Description
Endiandra virens is a small tree with bright green leaves and large fruit. Usually seven to ten metres tall with a trunk diameter of 20 cm. The bark is pale, often grey or whitish grey. The bark is not smooth, with vertical ridges, lines and bumps, somewhat soft and corky. New branchlets green and smooth, new shoots with small hairs.Leaves
The leaves are alternate, not toothed. 6 to 15 cm long, 2 to 3 cm wide. Oblong or lanceolate in shape. Leaves are narrow at both ends. Leaf stem 3 to 12 mm long. Glossy green above, duller below. The specific name virens refers to bright green of the new leaves.The midrib, lateral veins and net veins are visible on both surfaces, raised and more evident under the leaf. Midrib raised under the leaf, somewhat depressed on the upper leaf surface.
Flowers and Fruit
Small cream flowers occur on 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 in the months of March to May. The panicle is shorter than a leaf.
The fruit matures from April to July, though sometimes as late as November. A very large globular 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...
, 4 to 10 cm in diameter. Coloured yellow, orange or red when mature. The single seed is 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Removal of the fleshy aril
Aril
An aril is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to any appendage or thickening of the seed coat in flowering plants, such as the edible parts of the mangosteen and pomegranate fruit, the mace of the nutmeg seed, or the...
is advised before planting the seeds.
Taxonomy
It is possible that the Queensland populations currently included as Endiandra virens between Caboolture and Kin Kin represent a distinct species once named Endiandra lowiana by F. M. Bailey in 1892. These plants differ in leaf and bark characters from the NSW populations and are similar to a less hairy Endiandra pubensEndiandra pubens
Endiandra pubens is a rainforest tree growing in eastern Australia. The habitat is subtropical rainforest growing near streams in valleys...
while NSW plants are quite dissimilar to E. pubens.
The type specimen of Endiandra lowiana is from Maroochie (Yandina), While the type for Endiandra virens is from the Clarence River see (APNI) thus should the QLD populations prove to be a distinct species they would be called Endiandra lowiana while NSW populations would retain the name Endiandra virens genetic and more detailed morphological studies would help to clarify the status of these two taxa.