Backhousia sciadophora —Shatterwood, lronwood, Boomerang Tree, Curracabark.—MYRTACEAE.
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Habitat—The drier phases of rainforest in gorges and on steep slopes on sedimentary soils. Distribution—From Dungog to Kilcoy, Queensland. Description—A small tree with a handsome crown of dark glossy—green leaves attaiing a height of 30 m and a stem diameter of 80 cm. An excellent host tree for epiphytes. Local occurrences— Black Head,
Brown's Creek Bicentennial Gardens,
Copeland,
Dixon Property,
One Mile Beach,
Waitui Falls and
Wingham Brush.
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Leaves.— Simple, opposite, intramarginal vein, oil dots large, entire, glabrous, broadly ovate or elliptical, 5 to 10 cm long, with a short rounded point or sometimes notched at the tip. Upper surface glossy dark green, paler on the underside. Oil dots small, numerous, pellucid. Odourless. Leaf stalks very short, 3 mm long. |
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Inflorescence—White, small, numerous in axillary clusters or umbel-like cymes on a common peduncle from 10 to 45 mm long, pedicels slender up to 13 mm long. Calyx tube glabrous, bell—shaped. Lobes rounded and short. Flowering.—November to December. |
Fruit—Capsule, brown (when ripe), bell—shaped, 5 mm or a little over in diameter including the five persistent calyx lobes, 2 mm long. Ovary enclosed in a domed four or five—celled calyx tube. Seeds five to eight in each fruit, oval, 1 mm long, golden brown. Ripe.—May to August |
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