Muehlenbeckia australis

Detailed description

Gynodioecious, rampant, liane forming tangles of growth up to 15 m long (or rarely more); bark dark brown, black, or grey (if exposed often covered in crustose and fruticose lichen growth), firmly attached. Main stem up to 0.1 m d.b.h., terete, much-branched, pliant, branches often tangled or interlaced, pliant, 10–20 mm diameter, terete; branchlets slender, terete, finely grooved, young growth usually glabrous, sometimes glabrescent, if so then finely pubescent, hairs, brown or black, minute, patent, caducous. Leaves alternate, membranous (wilting readily if picked), glabrous; petiole pliant, 20–25(–30) mm long, greenish, vinous-red, maroon or black; lamina of juvenile 10-30 × 5-10 mm, pandurate, subpandurate or trilobed (often on same plant), apex acute, usually sharply acuminate, acumen up to 5 mm long, base truncate, dull light green to green, with green, vinous-red or maroon margin, midrib impressed, dark green or red-green, veins reddish ± evident; lamina of adult 20-80 × 10-30(-40) mm, broad-ovate to broad-oblong, entire, often undulose, apex sharply, acutely acuminate, acumen 10-15 mm long, base truncate to subtruncate, dull light green, green, dark green, with green, vinous-red or maroon margin, midrib yellowish, slightly raised, veins usually obscure or not evident. Ochreae caduocus, hyaline, (4-)5–6 mm long. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, paniculate, usually leaf at base, panicles 100-150 × 100 mm, comprised of bracteose racemes 30-50 mm long, bracts 1.5-3.0 mm long, narrowly deltoid, hyaline, membranous, caducous. Flowers ± stellate, greenish to cream, 4-5(-6) mm diameter. Tepals free or fused near base, 5.0-6.0 × 1.5-2.0 mm, oblong, ovate, ± cucullate (♀ especially), greenish or cream (♂ especially). ♂ flowers, shortly pedicellate, pedicels 0.4-1.2 mm long, glabrous, green. Tepals 5, widely spreading, stamens 8, antisepalous, in two whorls of four, outer spreading, inner suberect to erect; filaments 5.8-6.2 mm long, cream or white, anthers basifixed, 0.3-0.5 mm, oblong, cream, gynoecium rudimentary (barren). ⚥ flowers similar but with functional gynoecium, found to varying degrees on otherwise ♂ plants. ♀ flowers, shortly pedicellate, pedicels 0.2-0.8 mm long, glabrous, green. Tepals 5, suberect, cucullate, staminodes if present 8, often heavily reduced or absent; stigmas broad, fimbriate. Fruit invested by white succulent persistent perianth. Nut 2.8-4.0 × 1.8-2.9 mm, trullate, triquetrous, asymmetric broad at base, apex subacute, angles obtuse, twisted, faces concave, smooth; surfaces dark red brown, dark brown, or brown-black.