83 
Halford & Ford, New species of Morinda 
densely hairy distally with simple hairs 
07-0.8 mm long; lobes elliptic, spreading, 
recurved, 2.2-3.5 mm long, 1.7-2.4 mm wide, 
glabrous adaxially, acute at apex. Bisexual 
flowers: stamens exserted; filaments 0.5-0.6 
mm long, adnate to corolla tube c. 0.8 mm 
below the sinuses of the corolla lobes; anthers 
dorsifixed, oblong, 1.1-1.4 mm long, dehiscing 
laterally; disc annular, entire, convex, c. 0.4 
mm high, glabrous; ovary 2-celled, biovulate, 
with false septum in the upper part appearing 
to divide each cell into 2; style 2.5-27 mm 
long (excluding stigma), glabrous; stigma 
bifid, with spreading lobes 27-2.8 mm long, 
adaxial surface and margin papillate, abaxial 
surface glabrous. Male flowers: stamens 
exserted; filaments 0.8-1.2 mm long, inserted 
c. 0.9 mm below the sinuses of the corolla 
lobes; anthers dorsifixed, oblong, 1.9-2.1 mm 
long, dehiscing laterally; disc annular, entire, 
conical, c. 0.5 mm high, glabrous; ovary 
undeveloped and lacking functional ovules 
and style. Fruit a compound syncarpous 
drupe (rarely simple), subglobose, laterally 
compressed or shallowly 3-lobed (globose 
when simple), 6-7 mm long, 10-14 mm across 
(widest point) (simple drupes are c. 4.5 mm 
diameter), orange when ripe, persistent calyx 
tubes not prominent on surface, glabrous; 
pericarp thin and leathery; mesocarp fleshy, 
containing 8 to 12 (rarely 4) pyrenes. Pyrenes 
± obovoid, dorsiventrally compressed, 3.8-4 
mm long, 3-3.3 mm wide, 1.9-2.1 mm thick, 
1-seeded; endocarp cartilagineous, pale 
brown, ± smooth, with basal marginal groove. 
Seeds obovate in outline, c. 3x2.8x1.5 mm; 
testa membraneous, dark brown; endosperm 
corneous, ± white; embryo c. 1.6 mm long , 
± straight; cotyledons thin, c. 0.5 mm long 
and 0.4 mm wide; radicle c. 1.1 x 0.5 mm. 
Seedlings unknown. Fig. 1. 
Additional selected specimens examined : Queensland. 
Cook District. 50 [m] N of station at top of Bellenden 
Ker, May 2001, Cooper & Cooper WWC1526 (BRI, 
CNS); N P R. 904, Wooroonooran, just S of tower 9, 
Mt Bellenden Ker Cableway, Oct 2003, Ford AF4182 & 
Holmes (BRI, CNS); ditto loc.. May 2003, FordAF3963 
& Green (BRI, CNS); Bellenden Ker Range, Oct 1974, 
Hyland 7765 (BRI, CNS); S.F.R. 310 Bellenden Ker, Sep 
1977, Gray 695 (CNS); S.F.R. 310, Upper Goldsborough 
L.A., Sep 1976, Dockrill 1285 (CNS); N.P.R. 904, 
Wooroonooran, steep slope off ‘Donkey Track’ off 
Russell River Track, Oct 2001, Ford et al. AF2969 (BRI, 
CNS, NSW). 
Distribution and habitat: Morinda constipata 
is endemic to the Wet Tropics in north-eastern 
Queensland, where it is known from three 
localities c. 18 km apart predominantly on the 
Bellenden Ker Range (Mt Bellenden Ker and 
Mt Bartle Frere), with an isolated occurrence 
in the headwaters of the Russell River (Map 
1). On the Bellenden Ker Range it is recorded 
as growing in simple microphyll-notophyll 
vine fern thickets on a granitic substrate, 
whereas near the Russell River it occurs in 
complex notophyll rainforest on soil derived 
from mudstones. On the Bellenden Ker Range 
the stunted canopy is dominated by: Acmena 
hemilampra subsp. orophila B. Hyland, 
Balanops australiana F.Muell., Cinnamomum 
propinquum F.M. Bailey, Elaeocarpus 
ferruginiflorus C.T.White, Leptospermum 
wooroonooran F.M.Bailey and Musgravea 
stenostachya F.Muell. Common smaller 
trees and shrubs include: Alyxia orophila 
Domin, Cyathea rebeccae (F.Muell.) Domin, 
Hypsophila halleyana F.Muell., Laccospadix 
australasica H.Wendl. & Drude, Lino spadix 
spp., Polyosma rigidiuscula F.Muell. & 
F.M.Bailey ex F.M.Bailey, Triunia montana 
(C.T.White) Foreman and Trochocarpa 
bellendenkerensis Domin. Although the 
altitudinal range is 590-1560 m, the majority 
of collections and reliable recordings are 
from 1460-1560 m. The species association 
for the 590 m collection {Ford et al. AF2969 ) 
is completely different to the Bellenden Ker 
Range as the substrate is mudstone, and for 
these details see Halford & Ford (2009, this 
issue under Coelospermum purpureum). 
Morinda constipata has been collected 
or reliably reported in the following REs: 
7.12.19a (rarely), 7.12.20 (commonly) and 
7.11.12a (rarely). 
Phenology: Flowers have been recorded from 
September to November, whilst fruits have 
been recorded from May to July. 
Affinities: Morinda constipata is 
morphologically similar to M. canthoides 
and M. retropila. Morinda constipata differs 
from the former in having chartaceous leaves 
that are narrow-elliptic in outline, with a long 
acuminate apex (versus coriaceous leaves 
that are ovate to oblong-ovate in outline, with 
a shortly acuminate apex for M. canthoides ), 
