Scolopia braunii

Scolopia braunii
Scolopia braunii growing at Tamban Forest, near Kempsey, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Salicaceae
Genus:	Scolopia
Species:	S. braunii
Binomial name
Scolopia braunii Klotzsch & Sleumer
Synonyms
Scolopia brownii F.Muell. Adenogyrus braunii Klotzsch

Scolopia braunii is an Australian rainforest tree. Common names for this species include flintwood, mountain cherry, brown birch and scolopia. The habitat is Australian coastal rainforests of various types.

The natural range of distribution of Scolopia braunii is between Jervis Bay (35° S) in the south to Cape York Peninsula at the northernmost part of Australia.

Description

Scolopia brownii, Adelaide Botanic Garden, ca. 1925

It is a medium-sized tree growing to 25 metres tall and 50 cm in stem diameter. The trunk is flanged or somewhat buttressed on larger trees. The thin orange/brown bark has small raised irregularities and scaly depressions.

Young rhomboid-shaped red leaves form on slender branchlets, marked with pale lenticels. Leaves alternate, sometimes toothed, 4 to 9 cm long. Creamy white flowers form on panicles in September to November. The fruit is a red berry, turning black when mature, 1 cm in diameter containing two to four seeds. The fruit ripens from December to April. Germination from seed is erratic, sometimes coming up within three weeks. Other times germination is slow and difficult. However, cuttings prove more successful.

Drawing by Margaret Flockton

References

• Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 1989, ISBN   0-909605-57-2