Harpullia pendula, known as the tulipwood or tulip lancewood is a small to medium sized rainforest tree from 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...

. The tree's small size, pleasant form and attractive fruit ensures the popularity of this ornamental tree. The range of natural distribution is from the Bellinger River

Bellinger River

The Bellinger River is a river on the mid north coast of New South Wales. Clement Hodgkinson was the first person to explore the area in March 1841....

 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...

 to Coen

Coen, Queensland

Coen is a small inland town on the main road heading up the Cape York Peninsula in far northern Queensland, Australia. It is in the Cook Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Coen had a population of 253....

 in tropical 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...

. Tulipwood occurs in various types of rainforest, by streams or dry rainforests on basaltic or alluvial soils. In tropical and sub tropical rainforest. Often seen as a street tree, such as at St Ives, New South Wales

St Ives, New South Wales

St Ives is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. St Ives is located 18 kilometres north of the Sydney Central Business District in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council...

.

Description

A medium sized tree, up to 24 metres tall and a stem diameter of 60 cm. Usually seen much smaller. As a street tree, it's mostly under 6 metres tall with an attractive and shapely crown. The trunk is irregular in shape, often fluted. Bark is grey and scaly.

Leaves

Leaves are pinnate and alternate on the stem. There are three to eight leaflets, mostly 5 to 12 cm long, 2 to 5 cm wide. Leaflets without teeth, elliptic or narrowly elliptic. With a short blunt point at the tip. Often the leaf base is unequal. Leaf veins clearly seen on both sides, midrib raised on both surfaces.

Flowers

Flowers form on panicle

Panicle

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 from November to January, being greenish yellow, 15 mm in diameter.

Fruit and regeneration

Fruit forms from August to October, being a two lobed capsule. Yellow or red. Sometimes containing two shiny black or dark brown seeds. The colourful fruit is one of the most appealing features of this ornamental plant. Fresh seed is advised for regeneration. Seeds germinate easily from two weeks to two months.

Uses

A popular ornamental tree. The timber is well regarded. Excellent for turnery and cabinet timber. Fine grained, tough, heavy and durable.