Sarcopteryx Stipata
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''Sarcopteryx stipata'', known as the steelwood, is a rainforest tree of 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 ...
occurring from the Bulga Plateau and
Comboyne Plateau Comboyne is a village on the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales. It is situated on the Comboyne Plateau, some 60 km south-west of Port Macquarie, 35 km west of Kew and 54 km north-west of Taree. It is an attractive agricultu ...
north west of Taree, New South Wales as far north as Fraser Island off the coast of south eastern Queensland. It grows in sub tropical
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 ...
but sometimes occurs in warm temperate rainforests on poorer soils. It is a member of the soap berry family. The generic name ''Sarcopteryx'' translates to "fleshy wing", as the fruit can be wing shaped. ''Stipata'' means "surrounded". The common name ''steelwood'' refers to the very tough, hard and heavy timber.


Description

Usually seen as a small tree up to 10 metres in height, although a 40 metre tall tree with a trunk diameter of was recorded at Griers Scrub in Nightcap National Park. The base of larger trees is somewhat flanged. Bark is hard and grey in colour, and often marked with irregularities such as wrinkles, horizontal bands and bumps. Small branches are thick, longitudinally ridged, and with soft brown hairs. Brown hairs occur on many parts of the plant.


Leaves

Compound leaves are long, with six leaflets, occasionally three to nine leaflets. Leaflets are long and wide, broad lanceolate in shape, narrowed at the base, and with a long fine leaf tip. The left and right halves of the leaflets are unequal in size. They are shiny green above, duller below with some brown hairs. The compound leaf stalk is brown and hairy, and swollen where it joins the branchlet. Leaflet stalks are between long, leaf veins are raised on both sides. Some lateral veins become wider and thicker where meeting the main mid rib of the leaf.


Flowers, fruit and germination

White or cream flowers appear from August to October on
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, either at the end of the branchlets or from the
axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
s of the leaves. Petals are long. The fruit is a red or pink capsule in diameter. It has three or four angles, with three cells, each containing one brown shiny cylindrical seed, in diameter. A yellow
aril An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...
completely covers the seed. The fruit matures in November and December and is eaten by the green catbird and Lewin's honeyeater. Germination from fresh seed is slow but reliable - removal of the yellow aril from the seed is advised. After four months practically all seeds should germinate.


References


External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7423621 Sapindaceae Sapindales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller