Celastraceae

Denhamia bilocularis

(Synonym: Maytenus bilocularis)

ORANGEBARK

Shrub or small tree to 10 m high, outer bark patchy grey and brown, smooth to rough with numerous raised lenticels, inner bark orange or orange-brown. New growth often reddish. Resting buds covered with small scale leaves; buds and stems hairless, with fine longitudinal ridges from decurrent petiole bases; stipules 2, free, lanceolate, usually 0.5–2 mm long.

Leaves simple, alternate; lamina elliptic to narrow-elliptic, 3–20 cm long, 1.5–4 cm wide, apex tapering to a short point, base tapered, margins toothed with teeth stiff and sub-prickly or sometimes reduced to callous points (leaves on juvenile growth and coppice shoots more coarsely toothed), tough, surfaces hairless, slightly glossy; pinnately veined with 5–8 pairs of lateral veins, distinct but faint on upper surfaces, more distinct on lower surface, minor veins distinct on lower surface; petiole 2–7 mm long.

Inflorescences axillary, often in axils of scale leaves, racemes. Flowers usually bisexual, actinomorphic, 4- or 5-merous; sepals 4 or 5, c. 1 mm long; petals 4 or 5, 1.6–2 mm long, white to cream; stamens 4 or 5, inserted beneath disc, strongly exserted; ovary superior, partly immersed in fleshy disc, 2-locular, style elongate, 2-lobed.

Fruit dry when mature, a capsule, ± obovoid to ellipsoid or obcordate, sometimes 2-lobed, c. 6 mm long, yellow, 2-locular and opening in 2 valves; seeds 1 or 2, black; aril thinly fleshy, smooth, orange, completely or partly covering seed.

Illustration of leaves & fruit

Habitat and Distribution:

In DRf and VTs; north from Willi Willi (Macleay River), N.S.W., to Mossman, N Qld, with a western outlier near Yallaroi (S of Goondiwindi), N.S.W.

Notes:

Intergrades with Denhamia silvestris have been recorded in N.S.W., north from the Macleay River. These plants have narrower leaves (12–18 mm wide).

 Copyright © 2014, All rights reserved.