Bean, Polyscias in Queensland 
449 
Map 3. Queensland and New Guinea 
distribution of Polyscias elegans. 
Bull. Soc. Bot. France 52: 313 (1905). Type: 
Queensland. Cook District: Cape York, 
October 1848, J. MacGillivray 431 (lecto: 
K000792847, here chosen; isolecto: BRI 
(fragment)). 
Illustrations : Hyland et al. (2010). 
Additional selected specimens examined : Queensland. 
Cook District: Mount Cook NP, NP 142, 1.5 km WSW 
of Mt Cook summit, Feb 1993, Fell DGF2877 & Stanton 
(BRI, CNS); Turrel Hill, 10 km WSW of Nesbit River 
mouth, 51.6 km N of Silver Plains HS, Aug 1993, Fell 
DGF3393 et al. (BRI, CNS); Lamond Hill, Iron Range, 
Jul 1991, Forster PIF9016 (BRI); Great Barrier Reef, 
Restoration Rock, near Cape Weymouth, Portland 
Roads, Jul 1969, Heatwole s.n. (BRI [AQ8116]); 
Warraber Island, Torres Strait, May 2002, Waterhouse 
BMW6410 (BRI, CANB). 
Distribution and habitat: Polyscias 
macgillivrayi is found along the east coast 
of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, and in 
coastal parts of mainland Papua New Guinea 
and New Britain (Map 2). It also extends 
to Micronesia (Philipson 1979). It mainly 
inhabits the littoral zone almost exclusively, 
and is frequent on continental islands, but 
occasionally extends up to 20 km inland. 
Notes: Dried specimens of this species are 
instantly discernible by their strong odour 
resembling curry powder. 
5. Polyscias mollis (Benth.) Harms, Natur. 
Pflanzen. Ill, 8 (111): 45 (1894); Panax mollis 
Benth., FI. Austral. 3: 382 (1867); Nothopanax 
mollis (Benth.) Seem., J. Bot. 4: 295 (1866); 
Tieghemopanax mollis (Benth.) R.Vig., 
Bull. Soc. Bot. France 52: 312 (1905). Type: 
Queensland. Rockingham Bay, undated, J. 
Dallachy s.n. (lecto: MEL 2249865 [here 
designated]; isolecto: MEL 2249866; MEL 
2249858). 
Panax macdowallii F.Muell., Southern Science 
Record n.s. 2 (1886); Aralia macdowallii 
(F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex F.M.Bailey, Syn. 
Queensland FI. Suppl. 2: 31 (1888); Polyscias 
macdowallii (F.Muell.) Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 
