Flindersia collina
Encyclopedia
Flindersia collina is an Australian rainforest
tree in the citrus family
. It is known as the Leopard Wood, Broad-leaved Leopard Tree or Leopard Ash. It occurs in dry rainforest, often on hillsides. The species name collina means hill dweller. Seen from the upper Richmond River, New South Wales to Cape Melville
in tropical Queensland
. An attractive tree with pleasantly marked bark, and shapely notched leaflets.
3 to 7 stalkless leaflets per compound leaf. Leaflets 2 to 8 cm long, with a blunt or notched tip. Leaf shaft winged, sometimes broadly so when coppicing
. Smooth and green on both surfaces, somewhat paler green below. Tiny oil dots visible with a magnifying glass. Leaflets show distinct venation, with the midrib raised top and bottom of the leaf.
White flowers form on panicle
s from September to October. Individual flowers around 6 mm in diameter. The fruit is a brown woody capsule, 4 to 5 cm long. Opening up in 5 valves. Seeds are 25 mm in length which includes the thin seed "wings", surrounding the heavier central part of the seed. Seeds dispersed by wind.
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree in the citrus family
Rutaceae
Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...
. It is known as the Leopard Wood, Broad-leaved Leopard Tree or Leopard Ash. It occurs in dry rainforest, often on hillsides. The species name collina means hill dweller. Seen from the upper Richmond River, New South Wales to Cape Melville
Cape Melville
Cape Melville is a headland on the eastern coast of the Cape York Peninsula. To its west lies Princess Charlotte Bay. It is part of the Cape Melville National Park....
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...
. An attractive tree with pleasantly marked bark, and shapely notched leaflets.
Description
A small to tall tree, up to 40 metres in height, and a trunk diameter of 60 cm. Bark is mottled green, grey and brown. Bark sheds in patches leaving a series of roundish depressions. Small bumps appear on the bark. The trunk is cylindrical and not buttressed. Small branches grey with downy new shoots, distinct scar marks shown.3 to 7 stalkless leaflets per compound leaf. Leaflets 2 to 8 cm long, with a blunt or notched tip. Leaf shaft winged, sometimes broadly so when coppicing
Coppicing
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which takes advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, young tree stems are repeatedly cut down to near ground level...
. Smooth and green on both surfaces, somewhat paler green below. Tiny oil dots visible with a magnifying glass. Leaflets show distinct venation, with the midrib raised top and bottom of the leaf.
White 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 September to October. Individual flowers around 6 mm in diameter. The fruit is a brown woody capsule, 4 to 5 cm long. Opening up in 5 valves. Seeds are 25 mm in length which includes the thin seed "wings", surrounding the heavier central part of the seed. Seeds dispersed by wind.