Halford & Ford, Coelospermum purpureum 
from granite, fine grained metasediments 
(including mudstone) and basalt. However, 
it is more commonly encountered on 
metasedimentary and granitic substrates, 
with occurrences on basalt being rare. In 
addition, a specimen has also been recorded 
as occurring in closed fernland ( Hunter 2192). 
Although it occurs over a disjunct geographic 
area common canopy species include: 
Balanops australiana F.Muell., Beilschmiedia 
oligandra L.S.Sm., Ceratopetalum virchowii 
F.Muell., Cryptocarya lividula B.Hyland, 
Elaeocarpus elliffii B.Hyland & Coode, E. 
foveolatus F.Muell., Flindersia bourjotiana 
F.Muell., Flindersia pimenteliana F.Muell., 
Halfordia kendack (Montrouz.) Guillaumin, 
Musgravea stenostachya F.Muell., Sloanea 
australis subsp. parviflora Coode, Syzygium 
endophloium B.Hyland and Waterhousea 
unipunctata B.Hyland. Common small trees 
and shrubs throughout most of its range 
include: Apodytes brachystylis F.Muell., 
Bobea myrtoides (F.Muell.) Valeton, 
Chionanthus axillaris R.Br., Crispiloba 
disperma (S.Moore) Steenis, Pittosporum 
rubiginosum A.Cunn., Polyscias australiana 
(F.Muell.) Philipson, Psychotria sp. (Danbulla 
S.T.Blake 15262), Schistocarpaea johnsonii 
F.Muell., Symplocos sp. (Boonjie B.P.Hyland 
2753) and Wilkiea angustifolia (F.M.Bailey) 
J.R.Perkins. Altitudinal range, from existing 
specimens, is 80-1360 m although there 
appears to be a preference between 500 m and 
800 m. 
Coelospermum purpureum has been 
collected or reliably reported in the following 
REs: 7.8.2a (rarely); 7.11.12a (commonly), 
7.11.12c (occasionally), 7.11.28 (occasionally), 
7.11.29a (rarely), 7.11.29b (commonly); 7.12.1a 
(rarely), 7.12. lc (rarely), 7.12.16a (occasionally), 
7.12.19a (rarely) and 7.12.67 (rarely). 
Phenology : Flowers have been recorded 
from October to December; fruits have been 
recorded from June and July. 
Notes : The flowers of Coelospermum 
purpureum have been recorded as “fragrant”, 
with a “pleasant scent” and with a perfume 
which “resembles Gardenia and Frangipanni” 
at anthesis. 
73 
A few collections {Gray 5645 (CNS), 
Hyland 13327 (CNS) and Ford 2290 (CNS)) 
have seemingly sessile flowers, with the 
distinctive long and slender pedicel being 
absent. In these collections the flowers are 
fused to each others’ bases/hypanthia. This 
feature occurs in several Coelospermum 
species and is commonly found in 
Morindeae sens, str., as well as distantly 
related Rubiaceous tribes (Robbrecht 
1988; Razafimandimbison & Bremer 2002; 
Razafimandimbison et al. 2008). 
Johansson (1988) acknowledges the 
genus Coelospermum as having a “tendency 
towards heterostyly”. This condition has 
been observed in Coelospermum purpureum 
with measurements of androecium and 
gynoecium for Tong styled flowers’ and 
‘short styled flowers’ being provided above. 
Field observations indicate that each form 
is specific to an individual plant and both 
forms grow in the same area and produce 
fruit. At this time it is unknown whether 
Coelospermum purpureum is an obligate 
outbreeder. 
Affinities : Coelospermum purpureum is 
morphologically similar to C. crassifolium 
J.T. Johanss. (from New Caledonia) in that the 
latter often forms a shrub, has few-flowered 
inflorescences with mostly pedicellate 
flowers and has mostly simple drupaceous 
fruits. Coelospermum purpureum differs 
in having thinner leaves that are dark green 
on the adaxial surface (compared with thick 
leaves that are green or yellowish-green in 
C. crassifolium ), leaf margins flat (reflexed 
in C. crassifolium ) and longer corolla tubes 
(8-13 mm long compared with 3-7 mm long 
in C. crassifolium). Unlike the other species 
of Coelospermum in Australia (C. dasylobum 
Halford & A.J.Ford and C. paniculatum 
F.Muell.), C. purpureum is usually a bushy 
shrub to small tree. A comparison of 
diagnostic differences between C. dasylobum , 
C. paniculatum and C. purpureum is provided 
in Table 1. 
