Bertya findlayi, commonly known as mountain bertya,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a tall shrub with many branches, narrowly oblong to narrowly egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, light green flowers usually borne singly in leaf axils or on the ends of branches, and narrowly oval or narrowly elliptic capsules with a mottled brown seed.
Bertya findlayi is a tall monoecious shrub that typically grows up to 2m (6ft 7in) high and has many branches. Its leaves are narowly oblong, narrowly egg-shaped with the narrower end toward the base, or strap like, 20–46mm (0.79–1.81in) long and 4–9mm (0.16–0.35in) wide on a petiole1.5–3.5mm (0.059–0.138in) long. The upper surface of the leaves is glabrous and green, the lower surface white and densely covered with star-shaped hairs. The flowers are usually borne singly on a peduncle3–6mm (0.12–0.24in) long. There are four or five bracts, the outer bracts narrowly egg-shaped or triangular, 1.8–2.7mm (0.071–0.106in) long and 0.8–1.1mm (0.031–0.043in) wide. Male flowers are sessile with five light green, egg-shaped sepal lobes 3.5–4.6mm (0.14–0.18in) long and 2.5–3.3mm (0.098–0.130in) wide and have 35 to 41 stamens. Female flowers are sessile with five light green, narrowly egg-shaped to narrowly triangular sepal lobes, 4.2–4.6mm (0.17–0.18in) long and 1.9–2.2mm (0.075–0.087in) wide. Female flowers usually have no petals, the ovary is moderately covered with star-shaped hairs, and the style is 0.2–0.5mm (0.0079–0.0197in) long with three spreading red limbs 2.1–2.7mm (0.083–0.106in) long, each with three lobes 0.6–1.9mm (0.024–0.075in) long. Flowering has been recorded in April, July and September, and the fruit is a narrowly oval to elliptic capsule 7.5–9.3mm (0.30–0.37in) long and 3.9–5.2mm (0.15–0.20in) wide with a single oblong, brown seed with reddish-brown and light brown mottling, about 5.2–6.6mm (0.20–0.26in) long and 3.2–4.1mm (0.13–0.16in) wide with a yellowish-white caruncle.[1][3][4][5]
Mountain bertya is a rare species, found in deep valleys and gullies at higher altitudes in the far south east of the Southern Tablelands in New South Wales[4] and from moist forests and watercourse in the Corryong area of Victoria.[1]
1 2 James, Teresa A.; Harden, Gwen J. "Bertya findlayi". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
↑ Halford, David A. Moon, Chris; Orchard, Anthony E. (eds.). "Bertya findlayi". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
↑ "Bertya findlayi". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1874). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol.8. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp.141–142. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
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