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The flowers are sparingly produced and very deciduous, and the same remarks 
apply to the fruits. For excellent specimens, supplied in a fresh state, without 
which the description could not have been completed, I am indebted to Mr. Forest 
Guard William Dunn, of Acacia Creek, Macpherson Range. 
“ It flowers right down on the wood, and it is extremely difficult to discover 
more than one flower on a twig, and as fast as one flower comes out it drops off—it 
falls to the ground.”—(W. Dunn.) 
Botanical Name.— Siphonodon, Greek, siphon, a tube, odon, a tooth, 
probably in reference to the prominent teeth of the very short tubular disc; 
australe , Latin, southern (Australian). 
Vernacular Names. —“Ivory Wood” is a name given to the timber and 
tree. It is a white wood, but to compare it to ivory might create a wrong impression. 
(See “ Timber.”) It is also called “ Native Guava,” because of the size and 
appearance of its fruit. 
Aboriginal Names.— “ Currayelbum,” of those of Northern New South 
Wales ; “ Umpurr,” of those of Queensland. 
Leaves. —Shining, and reminding one of the well-known shrub Coprosma 
Baueri. The underside of the leaf paler and duller than that of the upper. 
Flowers. —Lemon-yellow and fleshy; the perfume sweet, not strong, and of 
a lemon character. 
Fruit .—The fruit, when dead ripe, is of a bright yellow colour. 
Bark .—Bright yellow, the same colour as the fruit; flaky in texture. 
Timber. —Fissile, with a neat grain, and as white as deal. Thozet (speaking 
of Rockhampton, Q.) describes it as “ of a uniform yellowish colour.” It is 
undoubtedly a useful wood, though whether valuable for common purposes, such as 
box-making or for articles of superior workmanship, such as “ Tunbridge ware,” we 
require more data than we at present possess. It is certainly worthy of further 
examination. 
Size. —Of medium size. Perhaps 50 feet, with a stem-diameter of a foot, is 
a fair size. 
It is confined, as far as we know, to the rich brushes of northern New South 
Wales and southern Queensland. In New South Wales it occurs as far south as the 
Clarence River. 
“The native guava does not appear to grow in the large or main scrubs 
(brushes). It is generally found in the small or outlying scrubs, and appears to have 
a liking or attachment to the tulip-wood, Uarpullia pendula, as both timbers are 
often together.”—(W. Dunn.) 
