Brush Wilga

Geigera salicifolia

BRANCH CONTACT

kingaroy@npq.org.au

Rutaceae

Geijera salicifolia

BRUSH WILGA, GREEN SATINHEART

Small to medium-sized or large tree to 30 m high; bark dark grey-brown to red-brown, scaly. Buds usually densely hairy with simple hairs, stems soon becoming hairless; stipules absent.

Leaves simple, alternate; lamina narrow-elliptic to oblong-elliptic or ovate to lanceolate to broad-elliptic, usually 5–15 cm long, and 1.5–5 cm wide, apex bluntly acuminate to bluntly pointed or obtuse, base rounded or attenuated into petiole, margins entire, soft or firm to leathery, surfaces hairless and glossy; pinnately veined with 10–24 pairs of lateral veins, distinct to faint and slightly raised on upper or both surfaces (especially in dried leaves); oil dots large, distinct, numerous; leaves lavender-scented when crushed; petiole 5–22 mm long, with narrow incurved margins.

Inflorescences terminal and in the upper axils, panicles, 4–9 cm long. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, usually 5-merous; sepals c. 1 mm long, hairless to sparsely hairy; petals 1.5–2 mm long, white; stamens usually 5, incurved; carpels 4 or 5, ± free, basally fused, ovaries superior, partly immersed in fleshy disc.

Fruit dry, 1 or 2 or occasionally 3–5 follicles, each follicle 5–6 mm long, transversely wrinkled; seed 1 per follicle, black.

Two varieties of Geijera salicifolia have been recognized. They have been separated in this treatment despite not being accepted in the recently published Flora of Australia Volume 26:

Geijera salicifolia var. salicifolia
NARROW-LEAVED BRUSH WILGA, BRUSH WILGA, GREEN SATINHEART
Small to medium-sized or large tree to 20 m high. Leaves with lamina mostly narrow-elliptic to oblong-elliptic, usually 5–12 cm long, and 1.5–3 cm wide, length 3–8 times breadth, apex bluntly acuminate, base attenuated into petiole, firm to leathery; lateral veins 15–24 pairs and slightly raised on both surfaces; petiole 5–18 mm long, with narrow incurved margins, not or slightly swollen at the apex. Follicles transversely wrinkled.

Geijera salicifolia var. latifolia
BROAD-LEAVED BRUSH WILGA, GREEN SATINHEART
Small to medium-sized tree to 25 m high. Leaves with lamina ovate to lanceolate to broad-elliptic, usually 5–15 cm long and 3–5 cm wide, length 1.5–3.5 times breadth, apex bluntly pointed or obtuse, base rounded and not attenuated into petiole, soft but slightly leathery; lateral veins 10–18 pairs and slightly raised on upper surface; petiole 7–22 mm long, with narrow incurved margins. Follicles glandular-warty.

Illustration of leaves & fruit

Habitat and Distribution:

In STRf, WTRf, LRf, DRf and VTs; north from Jamberoo (SW of Wollongong), N.S.W., to Cooktown, N Qld, and west to the Springsure district, Qld; also New Guinea and New Caledonia.

Geijera salicifolia var. salicifolia: In DRf and VTs; north from the Hunter River, N.S.W., to Cooktown, N Qld, and west to the Springsure district, Qld; also New Guinea and New Caledonia.

Geijera salicifolia var. latifolia: In STRf, WTRf, LRf and DRf; north from Jamberoo (SW of Wollongong), N.S.W., to near Rockhampton, Qld.

Images: Geijera salicifolia var. salicifolia