Cryptocarya obovata
Cryptocarya obovata | |
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At the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Magnoliids |
Order: | Laurales |
Family: | Lauraceae |
Genus: | Cryptocarya |
Species: | C. obovata |
Binomial name | |
Cryptocarya obovata R.Br. |
Cryptocarya obovata, commonly known as pepperberry or white walnut, is a species of laurel growing on basaltic and fertile alluvial soils in eastern Australian rainforests. It is found from Wyong (33° S) in New South Wales to Gympie (27° S) in the state of Queensland. Extinct in the Illawarra region (34° S), it was allegedly last seen in the Illawarra in 1818 by Allan Cunningham.[1] The species was included in the Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen, 402 (1810).
Description
Cryptocarya obovata, known as the pepperberry or white walnut, reaches a height of 40 metres and a trunk diameter of 90 cm. The hairy underside of the leaves gives the tree a rusty appearance when viewed from below.
Trunk, bark and leaves
The trunk is straight and round in cross section, usually buttressed. The bark is grey or brown and usually fairly smooth. Vertical lines of pustules are often seen.
Leaves are alternate, obovate or oblong, 6 to 12 cm long, with a round tip. The upper surface is smooth and glossy, the underside usually greyish and finely hairy. The brown leaf stalks are 3 to 8 mm long.
Leaf venation is prominent, with the raised midrib, lateral and net veins covered in brown hairs, standing out conspicuously. The veins are brownish orange or yellow in colour.
Flowers, fruit and germination
Cream-coloured flowers form in panicles, with individual flowers about 3 mm long and almost without stalks. Flowering occurs between February and May.
The fruit is a black globular drupe, usually ribbed, 12 mm in diameter. The seed is around 8 mm in diameter. Fruit ripen from March to May, and are eaten by Australasian figbird, rose-crowned fruit-dove, topknot pigeon and wompoo fruit dove.
Like most Australian Cryptocarya fruit, removal of the fleshy aril is advised to assist seed germination, which is slow with Cryptocarya obovata. After 205 days, a 50% germination success may be expected.
Gallery
- Botanical drawing by Margaret Flockton
- Cryptocarya obovata at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
- Bark
- Juvenile
- Leaves showing venation
References
- ^ Bofeldt, Anders (2011). "Table 1: Cryptocarya obovata" (PDF). Plants at Risk in the Illawarra: Introduction to Table 1 (PDF) (Technical report). Online via LandcareIllawarra.org.au. NSW. Retrieved 25 Apr 2013.
- "Tribute to Anders". Landcare Illawarra. Archived from the original on 2012-07-19.
- Floyd, A.G. (1989). Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia. Inkata Press. ISBN 0-909605-57-2.
External links
- "Cryptocarya obovata R.Br". Atlas of Living Australia.