454 
12. Polyscias zippeliana (Miq.) Valeton, Bull. 
Dep. Agric. Indes Neerl. 10: 42 (1907); Panax 
zippelianum Miq., Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno- 
Batavi 1: 15 (1863); Nothopanax zippelianus 
(Miq.) Seem., FI. Vit. [Seemann] 115 (1866). 
Type: Indonesia. Papua. Near Dourga River, 
[May 1828], A. Zippelius (lecto: L 0008487, 
[here designated]; isolecto: K 000792850, L 
0008488). 
Kissodendron australianum var. dispermum 
F.Muell., Descr. Notes Papuan PI. 5: 88 
(1877); Kissodendron dispermum (F.Muell.) 
Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 89: 484 (1928); 
Polyscias australiana var. disperma (F.Muell.) 
Philipson, Blumea 24: 171 (1978); Polyscias 
disperma (F.Muell.) Lowry & Plunkett, PI. 
Divers. Evol. 128: 68 (2010), nom. illeg. non 
Blanco (1837), syn. nov. Type: Papua New 
Guinea. Fly River, [December 1875], L.M. 
dAlbertis s.n. (syn: MEL, image!; syn: FI 
[Beccari Herbarium 4662], image!). 
Additional selected specimens examined : Queensland. 
Cook District: Lockerbie, 10 miles [16 km] WSW 
of Somerset, Apr 1948, Brass 18412 (A, BRI); 22.6 
km E of Bromley on the track to Carron Valley, Jul 
1990, Clarkson 8878 & Neldner (BRI, CNS); Head 
of Pascoe River, 5 km NW of Mt Yangee, 21.2 km 
WSW of Lockhart River community, Apr 1994, Fell 
DGF4274 & Claudie (BRI, DNA); 3.5 km NNE of 
Massy Creek Crossing, Silver Plains Station, eastern 
fall of Mcllwraith Range, Jul 1993, Forster PIF13611 
et al. (BRI, MEL); Richardson Range, 18 km along 
Middle Peak track to Shelburne Bay, Jun 2008, Forster 
PIF33617 & McDonald (BRI, PE); Bamaga, Cape York, 
Sep 1963, Jones 2516 (BRI, CANB); N of Massy Creek, 
c. 13 km NW of Silver Plains, Aug 1978, Kanis 2019 
(BRI, CANB, L); Mcllwraith Range (NP proposal), Sep 
2004, McDonald KRM3019 (BRI, DNA); Isabella Falls, 
off Cooktown - Laura road, c. 30 km from Cooktown, 
Jan 1997, Plunkett 1550 et al. (BRI); Isabella Falls, on 
the Battle Camp road, 31.6 km NW of Cooktown, Nov 
2010, Wilson 685 & Wilson (BRI, CANB, CNS). 
Distribution and habitat : Polyscias 
zippeliana is widespread in far north 
Queensland on Cape York Peninsula and the 
islands of Torres Strait. It is also common 
Austrobaileya 9(3): 445-456 (2015) 
in the lowlands of southern New Guinea, 
both in Papua New Guinea and Indonesian 
Papua, and is found in the far north of the 
Northern Territory, including Melville Island 
and Kakadu NP (Map 2). It typically grows 
along watercourses with fringing rainforest 
in a landscape dominated by Eucalyptus and 
Melaleuca woodland. 
Notes : Polyscias zippeliana is clearly allied 
to P. australiana , but differing by the larger 
often 2-locular fruits and longer pedicels, by 
the primary inflorescence axis lacking the 3 or 
4 many-branched verticils, and the generally 
fewer leaflets. 
Polyscias zippeliana has previously been 
recorded as occurring in Australia, without 
any precise location or specimen citations, 
by Philipson (1995) and Lowry & Plunkett 
(2010). Despite this, it was not recorded for 
Queensland in Bostock & Holland (2014) or 
for Australia in AVH (2015). The record of P. 
australiana from Northern Territory (Short et 
al. 2011) is referable to P. zippeliana. 
Philipson (1995) described P. zippeliana 
as having “3 or 4 pairs of leaflets”, mimicking 
the description in the protologue. However, it 
is unrealistic to suppose that there could be 
so little variation in the number of leaflets in 
this species, when every other species has a 
considerable range of leaflet numbers. 
Philipson (1995) also stated that the New 
Guinean species Polyscias schultzei Harms 
occurs in “Queensland, Australia”. As 
Philipson restricted his view of P. zippeliana 
to specimens bearing 3 or 4 pairs of leaflets, 
it seems likely that Australian specimens of 
P. schultzei sensu Philipson are in fact P. 
zippeliana with 5 or more pairs of leaflets. 
It is also quite possible that P. schultzei is 
synonymous with P. zippeliana , but that 
determination requires further study. 
