86 
Slender twining, wiry vine, probably 
androdioecous. Stems pale, to 5 mm 
diameter. New growth pale green, slightly 
resinous. Young branchlets terete, moderately 
to densely hairy becoming glabrous with 
age; hairs simple, retrorse, 0.05-0.2 mm 
long; older branchlets rugose, glabrous, light 
grey. Colleters abundant at nodes of young 
branchlets inside at base of stipules; rhaphides 
abundant. Leaves petiolate, opposite; stipules 
interpetiolar, sheathing, 1.7-3 mm long, 
chartaceous, truncate, moderately hairy on 
abaxial surface with hairs as for branchlets, 
glabrous on adaxial surface, fragmenting as 
nodes thicken; petioles green when fresh, ± 
terete, 4-10 mm long, moderately to densely 
hairy with spreading hairs up to 0.2 mm long; 
blades discolorous, chartaceous and thin, 
narrow-elliptic or narrow-ovate, 5.5-10 cm 
long, 2-4 cm wide, length/width ratio 2.5-4:1, 
adaxial surface glabrous, shiny, dark green; 
abaxial surface very pale and somewhat 
creamish in colour, sparsely hairy with 
spreading hairs up to 0.2 mm long; venation 
brochidodromous with 4-8 lateral veins per 
side of midvein; midvein conspicuously raised 
on adaxial surface, prominent on abaxial 
surface; lateral venation ± obscure on adaxial 
surface, raised on abaxial surface; interlateral 
venation ± obscure on both surfaces; apex 
usually acuminate with acumen up to 1.5 cm 
long or rarely acute; base obtuse to rounded 
or abruptly cuneate; margins entire; domatia 
absent. Inflorescences 2 or 3-flowered umbel¬ 
like cymes; cymes shortly pedunculate, 
axillary, 1 to many per node; peduncles 0.5- 
0.8 mm long; bracts in connate pairs, cup¬ 
shaped, truncate, up to 1 mm long, whitish, 
sparsely hairy abaxially with spreading 
hairs up to 0.1 mm long. Flowers pedicellate 
(simple and not sessile in capitula), 3-5 
(mostly 4)-merous, bisexual or possibly 
unisexual on separate plants; pedicels terete, 
1-4 mm long, hispidulous with hairs <0.1 
mm long. Calyx tube 0.5-0.8 mm long, 1.5- 
1.7 mm wide, hispidulous on abaxial surface. 
Corolla valvate, clavate in bud with 3 or 4 
short protuberances apically, deciduous; tube 
2.9-3 mm long widening distally, minutely 
hairy abaxially, densely hairy in throat with 
long ascending hairs, 0.4-1.3 mm long; lobes 
triangular, 2-2.6 mm long, 1.5-2.2 mm wide 
Austrobaileya 8(1): 81-90 (2009) 
recurved; adaxial surface minutely papillose, 
with median longitudinal ridge; abaxial 
surface smooth and glabrous; apex indexed. 
Disc annular, convex, c. 0.4 mm long, glabrous. 
Ovary bilocular; ovules 2 in each locule, with 
false septum in the upper part appearing to 
divide each into 2, funicle inserted at base 
of dissepiment. Bisexual flowers: stamens 
inserted in throat of corolla tube; staminal 
filaments 0.5-0.8 mm long, adnate to corolla 
tube 2-2.5 mm below the sinuses of the corolla 
lobes; anthers 1.6-1.9 mm long; styles 3.6-4.6 
mm long (including stigma), exserted from 
corolla tube; stigma bifid, 0.5-1.4 mm long, ± 
erect, upper surface papillose, lower surface 
smooth. Unisexual flowers: stamens inserted 
in corolla tube; staminal filaments 0.8-1 
mm long, adnate to corolla tube 1.5-1.8 mm 
below the sinuses of the corolla lobes; anthers 
1.5-2.2 mm long; style absent, stigma bifid, 
0.3-0.6 mm long, erect, subulate, glabrous. 
Fruit a simple drupe, subglobose, 5-10 mm 
long, 4.5-9 mm across, umbilicate, orange 
when ripe, glabrous; pericarp thin; mesocarp 
fleshy, containing up to 4 pyrenes. Pyrenes 
± ellipsoid in outline, 3-sided, 2.4-3 mm 
long, 2.2-2.6 mm wide, 1.4-1.6 mm thick, 1- 
seeded; endocarp cartilagineous, pale brown, 
± smooth, with basal marginal groove. Seeds 
elliptic in outline, 2.3-2.5 mm long, 1.8-1.9 
wide, 0.8-1 mm thick; testa membraneous, 
pale brown; endosperm corneous, ± white; 
embryo c. 1.4 mm long, ± straight; cotyledons 
thin, c. 0.5 mm long and 0.5 mm wide; 
radicle c. 0.9 x 0.4 mm. Germination epigeal 
(phanerocotylar); cotyledons ovate-reniform, 
7-9 mm long, 6-9 mm wide, apex obtuse or 
bluntly pointed, base attenuate-auriculate. 
Fig. 2. 
Additional selected specimens examined : Queensland. 
Cook District: N.P.R. 133, Mt Sorrow Ridge walking 
track, Nov 2000, Ford AF2527 et al. (BRI); Mt Edith 
Road, off Danbulla Forest Drive, Apr 2004, Bradford 3 
(BRI, CNS); T.R. 1230, Boonjee L.A., SE of Butchers 
Creek township, Nov 1988, Jessup GJM5204 etal. (BRI); 
N.RR. 904, Wooroonooran, c. 300 m along track to Mt 
Bartle Frere, Apr 2004, Bradford 2 (BRI); Wooroonooran 
N.R, Bartle Frere track before Bobbin Bobbin Falls, Oct 
1997, Forster PIF21748 et al. (BRI, CNS); property of W. 
& W. Cooper, Topaz, Nov 2005, HalfordQ8853 & Jensen 
(BRI); vacant crown land, Bartle Frere E of Glen Allyn 
Trig., Feb 1962, Webb & Tracey 5794 (BRI); Boonjie, W 
of Mt Bartle Frere, 1962, Webb & Tracey 6837A (BRI); 
Foot of Bartle Frere, 1 km ESE of Josephine falls, Aug 
