Homalanthus polyandrus

Detailed description

Small, glabrous tree up to 10 m tall. Branches and branchlets slender, rather brittle, terete in cross-section, initially slightly ribbed, leaf-scars prominent. Leaves adaxially dark or bright-green to yellow-green above, sometimes suffused with red (especially new growth), abaxially subglaucous, membranous, stipulate, stipules } 20 mm long, caducous; juvenile lamina up to 300 mm diameter, broadly ovate, truncate or cordate at base, rarely perfoliate, adult lamina 30-200 diameter, usually rather broad-ovate to subrhombic, abruptly narrowed to acute or acuminate apex, cuneate to truncate at base; petioles > or } = to blade. Inflorescences terminal on new growth, racemose. Racemes slender up to 200 mm long, usually with a few solitary long-pedicellate Š flowers below or at base and many solitary short-pedicellate ‰ flowers above (racemes occasionally unisexual); each flower subtended by a caducous, glandular bract and 2 prominent glands at the base of the pedicel Male flowers bearing c.30-35 close-set stamens; perianth segments 1. Female flowers tri-locular with 3 styles, stigma capitate. Fruit } smooth, coriaceous, 3-angled, reddish, 10-12 mm diameter. Seed elliptic, oblong-elliptic or more irregular, terete or somewhat compressed, (2.3-)3.0 - 4.8 mm long, almost entirely covered with a yellowish aril.