By Hugh Sweatman While Australia is home to 117 species of sundew, representing about 50% of all recorded species, the centre of that diversity is southern Western Australia. Atlas of Living Australia lists 21 species in Queensland; three of these are endemic to rain forests of North Queensland and have very limited distributions. Drosera prolifera …
Continue reading “Drosera adelae – a true North Queenslander”
Cliff Quandong Distribution: Found only on ranges south-west of Townsville, on steep rhyolitic cliff faces. Form and Size: A small woody shrub to 80cm tall. Leaves: Oval to egg-shaped, shiny green above, dull and hairy beneath, margins sometimes wavy, 3.1-6.8cm x 1.5-2.6cm; spirally arranged on the stem. Old leaves turn red before falling. Flowers: White, …
Continue reading “Dubouzetia saxatilis Elaeocarpaceae”
Cloudy Tea Tree Form and Size: A large, spreading tree, 5-20m high, with blue-grey foliage and distinctive finely-hairy new growth. Distribution: Cape York and eastern coastal Qld., Top End of N.T. and W.A.; along stream banks, in swampy areas and open woodlands. Leaves: Broadly oval, flat, dull blue-grey, 5-7 longitudinal veins, 5.5-13cm x 1.5-2.7cm; new …
Continue reading “Melaleuca dealbata Myrtaceae”
The natural range of this species is well north of Townsville but it grows reliably in local gardens. Form and Size: An erect shrub to 4m high, occasionally growing to 10-12m in forest areas. Distribution: Iron Range, on Cape York, north Qld. Leaves: Oblong, tapering to the base, tip rounded with a short point, softly …
Continue reading “Neofabricia myrtifolia Myrtaceae”
Common Name: Leichhardt Tree Form and Size: A large tree, l0-25m high, with a dense crown; deciduous. Distribution: Across northern tropical Australia: in lowland rainforests, along streams and in swampy areas. Leaves: Opposite, large, broad, smooth, egg-shaped, dark green, veins prominent, tip rounded, 14.5-30cm x 9-17cm; prominent stipules at the base of each leaf are …
Continue reading “Nauclea orientalis Rubiaceae”
This is an endemic Queensland tree with a range extending from SE Qld to Torres Strait. It occurs in gallery forest and drier rain forest from near sea level to 600 m. The compound leaves have leaflet blades about 4-10 x 2-4 cm. Fruits range in size from 4-16mm diam. In the Townsville region Vitex …
Continue reading “Vitex melicopea Lamiaceae”