''Cryptocarya meisneriana'', commonly known as northern rivers laurel, thick-leaved cryptocarya, Meisner's laurel or thick-leaved laurel, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Lauraceae Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...

and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a tree or shrub with lance-shaped leaves, creamy and pale green, perfumed flowers, and elliptic to oval black

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

s. Its habitat is

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

on poorer sedimentary soils. The natural range of distribution is from the

Wangat River Wangat River, a perennial river of the Hunter River catchment, is located in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Wangat River rises below Gloucester Tops, west of Gloucester Gap, within Barrington Tops Nationa ...

(32° S) in the Barrington Tops to the Logan River (27° S) in southeastern Queensland. This tree was named after Carl Meissner, a Swiss botanist.

Description

''Cryptocarya meisneriana'' is a tree or shrub that typically grows to a height of up to , its stems not buttressed. Its leaves are lance-shaped, long, wide, green and more or less

glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), g ...

, on a petiole long. The flowers are arranged in small

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s or

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s in leaf axils about the same length as the petioles. They are cream to pale green and pleasantly perfumed. The perianth tube is long, wide. The outer

anthers The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

are long and wide, the inner anthers long and wide. Flowering occurs from October to January, and the fruit is an elliptical to oval black drupe, long and about wide.

Taxonomy

''Cryptocarya meisneriana'' was first formally described in 1976 by

David Gamman Frodin David Gamman Frodin (8 April 1940, Chicago – 12 August 2019, London, UK) was an American botanist, known as a leading expert on the flora of Papua New Guinea. (with eponyms, plant names authored by Frodin, & publication list) Biography His paren ...

in the journal '' Telopea'' from specimens collected near the

Hastings River Hastings River ( Birpai: ''Doongang''), an open and trained intermediate wave dominated barrier estuary, is located in the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Hastings River rise ...

near Port Macquarie by Hermann Beckler.

Distribution and habitat

This species of ''Cryptocarya'' grows in rainforest on coastal ranges from sea level to an altitude of from

Springbrook Springbrook may refer to: Places Australia * Springbrook, Queensland ** Springbrook National Park, Queensland ** Springbrook State School, a heritage-listed building in the park ** Springbrook Road, a heritage-listed road Canada * Springbrook, ...

in southern Queensland to Gloucester in New South Wales.

Conservation status

''Cryptocarya meisneriana'' is listed as of "least concern" by the Queensland Government Department of Education and Science.

References

External links