Auranticarpa rhombifolia
Encyclopedia
Auranticarpa rhombifolia is a rainforest
tree of eastern Australia
. Known as the Diamond Leaf Pittosporum, this tree is planted in many parts of Australia as an ornamental. The white flowers and orange fruit make it a most appealing street or garden tree. Other common names include Hollywood, Diamond Leaf Laurel, White Myrtle and White Holly.
Australian botanists recently examined the large genus Pittosporum
and decided the more northerly examples are significantly different to those in the south. Subsequently, a new genus was created Auranticarpa
, which means "gold fruit".
The range of natural distribution is on red–brown basaltic soils from Richmond River, New South Wales (28° S) to Forty Mile Scrub National Park
(18° S) in tropical Queensland
.
in shape, 5 to 10 cm long and 4 to 7 cm wide. Midrib, lateral and net veins easily seen on both the upper and lower leaf surface.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree of eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Known as the Diamond Leaf Pittosporum, this tree is planted in many parts of Australia as an ornamental. The white flowers and orange fruit make it a most appealing street or garden tree. Other common names include Hollywood, Diamond Leaf Laurel, White Myrtle and White Holly.
Australian botanists recently examined the large genus Pittosporum
Pittosporum
Pittosporum is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Pittosporaceae. The genus is probably Gondwanan in origin; its present range extends from Australasia, Oceania, eastern Asia and some parts of Africa. Citriobatus is usually included here, but might be a distinct genus...
and decided the more northerly examples are significantly different to those in the south. Subsequently, a new genus was created Auranticarpa
Auranticarpa
Auranticarpa is a genus of trees in the family Pittosporaceae.All six species occur in monsoonal forest and rainforest margins in Northern Australia...
, which means "gold fruit".
The range of natural distribution is on red–brown basaltic soils from Richmond River, New South Wales (28° S) to Forty Mile Scrub National Park
Forty Mile Scrub National Park
Forty Mile Scrub is a national park in Queensland , 1342 km northwest of Brisbane....
(18° S) in tropical Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Description
A small tree, up to 25 metres in height and a trunk diameter of 45 cm. The bark is grey, irregular, not smooth and almost corky. Leaves alternate, toothed in uneven patterns in the top half of the leaf. Not toothed closer to the stem. RhomboidRhomboid
Traditionally, in two-dimensional geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are oblique.A parallelogram with sides of equal length is a rhombus but not a rhomboid....
in shape, 5 to 10 cm long and 4 to 7 cm wide. Midrib, lateral and net veins easily seen on both the upper and lower leaf surface.