''Lomatia arborescens'', commonly known as smooth lomatia or tree lomatia, is a shrub or small tree that grows at high altitudes, in and near

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 ...

s. It is found north from the Barrington Tops area in eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Description

''Lomatia arborescens'' grows as a large shrub or small tree to 10 m (35 ft) high, with greyish brown bark. The smooth leaves are oval to spear-shaped ( lanceolate) and measure 3 to 15 cm (1.2–6 in) in length by 1.5 to 6 cm (0.6-2.2 in) wide—generally larger and with serrated leaf margins in sheltered spots and smaller with entire margins in exposed locations. A network of veins can be seen on the upper surface of the leaves. The white flowers grow in

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 that arise from axillary buds, appearing over the summer.

Taxonomy

''Lomatia arborescens'' was first formally described in 1937 by Lilian Fraser and Joyce Winifred Vickery, from a specimen collected by them on 12 January 1934 in rainforest along the Williams River. The species name is derived from the Latin ''arbor'', "tree", hence, "tree-like". George Bentham had described ''Lomatia longifolia'' var ''arborescens'' as a variety of ''Lomatia longifolia'' (now ''

Lomatia myricoides ''Lomatia myricoides'' , commonly known as the river lomatia, is a shrub native to New South Wales and Victoria in southeastern Australia. Description ''Lomatia myricoides'' grows as a woody shrub or small tree, reaching high, or rarely up to ...

'') in his 1870 work '' Flora Australiensis'', describing it as a "small tree of 20 to 25 ft" from the "Sydney woods". The identity of this form is unclear, with Alexander Floyd stating it was ''L. arborescens'' and the authors of ''Flora of Australia'' identifying it as ''L. myricoides''. It was mistakenly called ''L. ilicifolia'' by Queensland botanist Frederick Manson Bailey in his 1901 work ''Queensland Flora''. Analysis of

chloroplast A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells. The photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight, converts it, and stores it in ...

DNA showed that there is extensive hybridization between the five species (''L. arborescens'', ''L. fraseri'', ''L. ilicifolia'', ''L. myricoides'' and '' L. silaifolia'') of mainland southeastern Australia, though each is distinct enough to warrant species status.

Distribution and habitat

''Lomatia arborescens'' is found from southern Queensland southwest to Mount Kaputar National Park and south to Barrington Tops. It grows in rainforest and rainforest margins.

Cultivation

''Lomatia arborescens'' adapts readily to cultivation with a sunny or part-shaded aspect. Horticulturally, it is of potential because of its attractive leaves rather than its flowers, which are not prominent. In cultivation, it requires some degree of moisture.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6669171 Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland arborescens Proteales of Australia Trees of Australia