Cryptocarya foveolata
Encyclopedia
Cryptocarya foveolata, known as the Mountain Walnut is a rainforest
tree growing at high altitude in eastern Australia
. Despite the common name, it belongs to the Laurel
family.
Fallen leaves from this tree may be identified by the two glands at the base of the leaf, and by the compact leaf shape and venation.
The group of Cryptocarya
trees are mostly from the tropics or warmer temperate areas. This tree is unusual as it grows in cooler regions, subject to frost and occasional snow. It's also an unusually tall tree from the Cryptocarya genus.
Cryptocarya foveolata grows in rainforest
s on fertile soils. Mostly growing above 600 metres above sea level. Often seen in association with the Antarctic Beech
. The natural range of distribution is from Mount Royal
in the Barrington Tops to the McPherson Range
on the border of Queensland
and New South Wales
.
Leaves alternate, ovate or elliptical with a prominent tip. Three veined with an easily seen mid vein, raised on the upper and lower side of the leaf. One or two pairs of hollow glands (fovelae) forming at the base of the leaf. One on either side of the midrib. Leaves 4 to 7 cm long.
Small, cream, flowers form on panicle
s from December to February. Fruit ripens from October to January. Being a fleshy black drupe
, 12 to 15 mm across, with a single seed inside, around 10 mm in diameter. Like most Australian Cryptocarya
fruit, removal of the aril
is advised to assist seed germination. Around a third of the seeds will germinate.
.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree growing at high altitude in 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...
. Despite the common name, it belongs to the Laurel
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
family.
Fallen leaves from this tree may be identified by the two glands at the base of the leaf, and by the compact leaf shape and venation.
The group of Cryptocarya
Cryptocarya
Cryptocarya is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropic, Afrotropic, Indomalaya, and Australasia ecozones.-Overview:...
trees are mostly from the tropics or warmer temperate areas. This tree is unusual as it grows in cooler regions, subject to frost and occasional snow. It's also an unusually tall tree from the Cryptocarya genus.
Cryptocarya foveolata grows in rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s on fertile soils. Mostly growing above 600 metres above sea level. Often seen in association with the Antarctic Beech
Nothofagus moorei
Nothofagus moorei, is an important Gondwana relict of the rainforests of the southern hemisphere. It occurs in wet, fire free areas at high altitude in eastern Australia....
. The natural range of distribution is from Mount Royal
Mount Royal Range
The Mount Royal Range is a mountain range in New South Wales, Australia. Prominent peaks in the range include Mount Polblue , Brumlow Tops , Gulph Mountain, Gog and Magog, The Pinnacle, Paddys Ridge, Mount William, Mount Paterson, Mount Allyn, Mount Royal , Mount Toonumbue, the Belgrave Pinnacle,...
in the Barrington Tops to the McPherson Range
McPherson Range
The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Further west of the...
on the border of 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...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Description
Cryptocarya foveolata is a small to large tree, occasionally reaching 45 metres in height and with a trunk diameter of 120 cm. The bark is brown, mostly smooth with lines of vertical bumps running up the trunk. The base of the tree is not particularly buttressed.Leaves alternate, ovate or elliptical with a prominent tip. Three veined with an easily seen mid vein, raised on the upper and lower side of the leaf. One or two pairs of hollow glands (fovelae) forming at the base of the leaf. One on either side of the midrib. Leaves 4 to 7 cm long.
Small, cream, flowers form on panicle
Panicle
A panicle is a compound raceme, a loose, much-branched indeterminate inflorescence with pedicellate flowers attached along the secondary branches; in other words, a branched cluster of flowers in which the branches are racemes....
s from December to February. Fruit ripens from October to January. Being a fleshy black drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
, 12 to 15 mm across, with a single seed inside, around 10 mm in diameter. Like most Australian Cryptocarya
Cryptocarya
Cryptocarya is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropic, Afrotropic, Indomalaya, and Australasia ecozones.-Overview:...
fruit, removal of the aril
Aril
An aril is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus that covers or is attached to the seed. It is sometimes applied to any appendage or thickening of the seed coat in flowering plants, such as the edible parts of the mangosteen and pomegranate fruit, the mace of the nutmeg seed, or the...
is advised to assist seed germination. Around a third of the seeds will germinate.