Sarcomelicope simplicifolia is an Australian rainforest

Rainforest

Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...

 plant in the citrus

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...

 family. The natural range is from Brogo in south eastern 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...

 to the Mount Carbine area 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...

.
It also grows on Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island

Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...

.

Thomas Gordon Hartley

Thomas Gordon Hartley

Thomas Gordon Hartley is an American botanist.-Biography:In 1955 Hartley graduated in botany with the academic degree Bachelor of Science at the Wisconsin State Universities. In 1957 he received his Master of Science and in 1962 his Ph.D...

 described it as Sarcomelicope simplicifolia subsp. simplicifolia. The habitat is tropical, sub tropical, dry and littoral rainforests on the east coast of Australia. Common names are seldom used, but Yellowwood, Big Yellowwood or Yellow Aspen are recorded in references.

Description

A shrub or small to medium sized tree growing to 18 metres tall and a diameter of 33 cm. A cylindrical trunk with corky and fissured bark with scales. Mostly grey in colour. Small branches are smooth and grey with some raised dots.

Leaves are noticeable by the long and pale leaf stems, up to 4 cm in length. Leaves opposite on the stem, without serrations. Elliptical in shape, 5 to 13 cm long. 2 to 7 cm wide. Shiny dark green above, paler below. Leaf veins visible on the top and bottom of the leaf.

Flowers and fruit

Flowers appear from March to September. They are creamy in colour, small, forming from forks of the leaves. Four petalled, petals 6 mm long. With eight stamens. The fruit is a 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...

, not particularly fleshy, and relatively hard. Yellow or brownish on the fleshy edges. The fruit is eaten by a variety of birds, including Green Catbird

Green Catbird

The Green Catbird, Ailuroedus crassirostris is a species of bowerbird found on subtropical forests along the east coast of Australia, from southeastern Queensland to southern New South Wales. Its colouring is emerald green, with faint black markings on the face and white streaks on the neck.Green...

 and White Headed Pigeon.
Regeneration from seed is not easily achieved. Seeds should be removed from the flesh, then soaked for a week or two. After six months, around half of these may send out roots and shoots.