Callicoma 
serratifolia 
Callicoma serratifolia is a plant of historic 
interest as the first timbers used for the 
wattle and daub huts of the early settlers 
were cut from these trees. This plant was 
common at that time around Sydney Cove. 
Because of the close resemblance of its 
flowers to those of Acacia it was then 
known as black wattle, a name which is 
now applied more appropriately to some 
true Acacia species. 
This genus is in the small family 
Cunoniaceae and contains only one 
species which is confined to Australia. It 
grows naturally as a bushy shrub or small 
tree to 12 m high in protected moist gullies 
usually in close proximity to creeks. It 
occurs along the coastal areas of New 
South Wales from the Braidwood district 
to south-east Queensland. In cultivation 
it is an attractive ornamental small tree 
reaching a height of 6-10 m with a 
diameter of 3 m. 
The bark of Callicoma is rough and dark 
brown with a pinkish brown inner layer. 
The serrated leaves which are a distinctive 
feature of this plant are 50-130 mm long, 
broadly lance-shaped and sharply 
pointed. They are smooth and shiny on 
the upper surface and pale with whitish 
or rust coloured hairs below with prom¬ 
inent raised veins. Additional interest is 
provided by the pale bronze colouring of 
the young foliage which is covered with 
fine rusty hairs. 
The numerous small, pale yellow fluffy 
flowers are produced in dense globular 
heads on stalks 10-25 mm long, usually 
at the ends of the branchlets. It flowers 
in October and November. Individual 
flowers do not have petals but are com¬ 
posed of 4 or 5 small hairy sepals and 
numerous spreading stamens giving them 
a superficial resemblance to Acacia. The 
fruits are small hairy capsules produced 
in globular clusters. Each capsule con¬ 
tains a number of small seeds which are 
released when ripe, usually between 
December and January. The seeds ger¬ 
minate readily especially when fresh. 
C. serratifolia can be grown from 
cuttings which strike easily when taken 
in March/April. Select half-ripened mate¬ 
rial and treat with a suitable rooting 
hormone*, e.g. 500 ppm IBA (indole 
butyric acid) and 500 ppm NAA (naph- 
thaleneacetic acid). 
This plant is frost tender when young 
and grows best in a shaded position in 
well composted soil. It requires plenty of 
moisture. Excellent specimens are grow¬ 
ing in the Rainforest Gully at the Austral¬ 
ian National Botanic Gardens. 
* See Appendix 
341 
M. FAGG 
