400 
area at c. 300 m altitude where, at no time 
since the last interglacial has sea level been 
where mangroves are now found (Woodroffe 
1988: 12). Christmas Island has been rapidly 
uplifted during the Cainozoic pushing 
tertiary limestone to 361 m above sea level 
(Woodroffe 1988: 12). 
Phenology : Flowers in cultivation have 
been recorded in August and October; fruit 
has been recorded from the Jardine River in 
October and in cultivation in May. 
Typification: See previous notes under 
Cynometra iripa. 
Notes: Previously Cynometra ramiflora 
was thought not to occur in Australia, but 
specimens from Cape York and Christmas 
Island are confirmed to be this species. 
In the past, C. ramiflora has been 
distinguished from C. iripa by the glabrous 
inner wall of its ovaries (Knaap-Van Meeuwen 
1970: 14; Tomlinson 1986: 253) (those of C. 
iripa are pubescent). However, one collection 
(Cooper 2245 ) has sparse but distinct pale 
hairs on the inner wall of some, but not all 
ovaries. 
Sepals have been variously described as 
being completely hairy, with a few hairs near 
their tip or glabrous (Knaap-van Meeuwen 
1970: 24, Ding Hou et al. 1996: 606). 
Australian material has glabrous sepals with 
an entire to slightly fimbriate apex margin. 
With the exception of a small tuft 
of caducous hairs at the petiole apex, 
all specimens seen from the Australian 
mainland and New Guinea have glabrous 
petioles, rachises and petiolules (including on 
tender new growth), whereas material from 
Christmas Island and SE Asia have glabrescent 
petioles and rachises, and minutely pubescent 
petiolules. 
Etymology : The specific epithet, ramiflora , 
is derived from the Latin rami- (pertaining to 
branches) and -florus (flowered), referring to 
the ramiflorous inflorescences. 
3. Cynometra roseiflora W.E.Cooper sp. 
nov. Similar to Cynometra ramiflora L. but 
differs in the colour of new flush foliage (red 
Austrobaileya 9(3): 393-403 (2015) 
versus pink); petal length (about half as long 
as sepals versus of similar length); petal colour 
(bright pink versus white); internal ovary 
wall (glabrous but for a tuft of hairs at base 
versus glabrous or sparsely hairy but lacking 
a tuft of hairs at base); fruit shape (reniform 
and laterally compressed versus globose 
and ventrally flattened). Typus: Australia: 
Queensland. Cook District: Mossman Gorge 
section, Daintree National Park, north side of 
the river, 10 March 2013, W. Cooper 2215 , T. 
Hawkes, R. Jensen , J. Kemp & J. Leech (holo: 
CNS [2 sheets + spirit]; iso: BRI, CANB, L, 
K, MO distribuendi). 
Cynometra iripa (in part) ( sensu Pedley 2007: 
39). 
Cynometra ramiflora (in part) {sensu Hyland 
etal. 2003, 2010). 
Shrub or tree to 15 m. Bark with round or 
elongated lenticels or pustules; twigs zig¬ 
zag, with lenticels round and scattered; 
stipules not seen. Leaves 1-jugate; petioles 
4-8 mm long, not channelled, mostly 
enclosed by leaflet base, glabrous; leaflets 
slightly discolorous, new growth bright red 
and pendulous; petiolules 1-2.5 mm long, 
wrinkled, glabrous; leaflets asymmetrically 
ovate, 70-175 x 20-62 mm, membranaceous- 
coriaceous, glabrous, upper-side shiny, under¬ 
side dull; base oblique, cuneate, attenuate or 
rounded; apex acuminate or drawn out with a 
bluntly rounded tip, rarely emarginate; margin 
entire; venation brochidodromous, primary 
vein raised on both surfaces; secondary veins 
8-15 per leaflet, angle of divergence from 
primary vein 20-40°; tertiary veins reticulate. 
Inflorescence a ramiflorous, axillary or rarely 
pseudo-terminal, 1-7-flowered fascicle or 
pedunculate raceme on a swelling; pedicels 
3-4 mm long, glabrous; bracteoles 2 on each 
pedicel, caducous, not seen but evidenced 
by scars. Flowers not fragrant, erect, c. 7 
x 6 mm; receptacle shortly cone-shaped c. 
0.5 mm long and wide; sepals 4, lanceolate 
or oblong-elliptic, reflexed and strongly 
incurved at apex, 3-4 x 1-2.5 mm, bright 
pink, some becoming whitish after anthesis, 
glabrous, margin at apex often sparsely and 
minutely ciliate; petals 5, lanceolate or strap¬ 
shaped, entire, 1-2 x 0.2-0.7 mm, bright pink, 
