Cyclophyllum longipetalum

Coast Canthium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Rubiaceae
Subfamily:	Ixoroideae
Tribe:	Vanguerieae
Genus:	Cyclophyllum
Species:	C. longipetalum
Binomial name
Cyclophyllum longipetalum S.T.Reynolds & R.J.F.Hend.

Cyclophyllum longipetalum, known as the Coast Canthium is a shrub or tree occurring in eastern Australia. Commonly seen growing in a variety of different rainforest situations. From Lake Conjola in southern New South Wales to Fraser Island in south eastern Queensland.

Description

Occasionally growing to tree size, the tallest trees are 25 metres tall and with a 50 cm trunk diameter. Often seen as a shrub growing at the edge of the eucalyptus rainforest ecotone.

The trunk is mostly straight, though sometimes buttressed at the base on larger trees. Bark is grey or brown, with some wrinkles, cracks or fissures. Small branches fairly thick, usually four angled (square in cross section).

Leaves

Leaves opposite on the stem, smooth edged without leaf serrations. 2 to 10 cm long, 1 to 4 cm wide. Leaf venation not particularly obvious on the upper side of the leaf. Leaves sometimes show foveolae at the leaf axils. That is (raised bumps where the lateral leaf veins branch off from the main leaf mid vein). Net veins not seen.

Flowers & fruit

Fragrant creamy golden brown flowers form from January to March. The fruit is a fleshy orange/red drupe, around 10 mm long. Seen from October to January. Within the fruit are often two seeds, one each within the two lobes of the hard capsule, surrounded by the glossy red aril.

References

• Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 2008, ISBN 9780958943673 page 332
• "Cyclophyllum longipetalum". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Cyclophyllum~longipetalum. Retrieved 2010-03-18.