92 
midrib), margins recurved, apices obtuse or 
retuse, with small umbo <0.5 mm long, bases 
obtuse or rounded, midrib sunken in a narrow 
groove above, prominently raised below; 
lateral veins 10-14 pairs, slender, patent, 
looping inside margins, slightly raised above, 
raised below; reticulation minute, prominent 
and slightly raised above and below; domatia 
present as small pockets or flaps at most lateral 
vein-midrib junctions below (occasionally at 
sublateral veins), 18-30 per leaflet, up to 0.5 
mm long; petiolules pulvinate, 3-10 mm long, 
pubescent, channelled above; petioles slightly 
pulvinate, 10-36 mm long, pubescent, striate. 
Panicles axillary, in upper leaf axils, 1.5-7.5 
cm long, axes and bracts ferruginous villous; 
bracts narrowly triangular, 0.5-2.5 x 0.2-0.7 
mm. Flowers white, 3-3.5 mm diameter; 
pedicels 1-2 mm long, pubescent, articulate 
at the base; calyx 5-lobed to near the base, 
lobes triangular to ovate, 1-1.2 x 0.7-0.8 
mm, pubescent outside, ± glabrous inside, 
persistent; petals present, 4 or 5, rhombic, 
with rounded or obtuse apices, 1-1.3 mm 
long, sparsely pubescent outside, ± glabrous 
inside, claw 0.5-0.6 x 0.2-0.3 mm, scales 2, 
villous; disc annular, glabrous or with sparse 
hairs above. Male flowers: stamens 8 or 9, 
filaments 1.5-1.7 mm long, villous; anthers 
0.7-0.8 x c. 0.5 mm, sparsely puberulent; 
ovary rudimentary, c. 0.5 mm long, villous. 
Female flowers: stigmas 3, recurved, 
papillose, remainder not seen. Capsules 
globular or subglobular, occasionally 2- 
lobed, 13-15 mm diameter, 14-18 mm long, 
with a brown pubescence of simple erect 
hairs 0.2-0.8 mm long outside, on stipes 5-6 
mm long, 3-4 mm diameter, apiculate with 
remnants of style and stigmas to 2 mm long, 
yellow; loculicidally or septically dehiscent, 
valves drying crustaceous, glabrous or with 
an occasional hair along the sutures inside; 
seeds covered or almost so in a yellow or 
yellow-orange aril, aril connector folded 
lengthwise, 3-5 mm long extending to 12 mm 
and allowing the seed to hang down beyond 
the capsule. Seeds 1 or 2, shiny, globular or 
semi-spheroid with one flat side in 2-seeded 
capsules, 10-13 x 10-14.5 mm, dark brown. 
Germination cryptocotylar. First seedling 
leaves subopposite, oblong-ovate, 2.5-4.5 x. 
2-2.7 cm, sparsely puberulent; petioles 1-2 
mm long. Fig. 1. 
Austrobaileya 8(1): 91-95 (2009) 
Additional specimens examined: Queensland. Moreton 
District: near Lyrebird Ridge Road, Springbrook, Dec 
1990 ,Birds.n. (BRI [AQ502591]); Repeater StationRoad, 
Springbrook, Dec 1993, Bean 7185 (BRI); Springbrook 
Lookout, MacPherson Range, Dec 1915, White s.n. (BRI 
[AQ118673]); between portions 150 & 94 Numinbah, 
NW of Hardys Falls, W side of Springbrook Plateau, Mar 
1979, McDonald2821 (BRI); Canyon Circuit Track, near 
Ngarri-dhum Falls, Warrie National Park, Springbrook, 
Jun 1978, McDonald 2071 (BRI). New South Wales. 
North Coast: Mt Warning, Jul 1965, Hayes s.n. (BRI 
[AQ118670]); Mt Warning, Mar 2009, Halford Q9670 & 
Guymer (BRI, NSW); walking track to Mt Matheson, 
Nightcap National Park, Mar 2009, Halford 09673 & 
Guymer (BRI, NSW). 
Distribution and habitat : Mischocarpus 
ailae is known from the Mount Warning 
(Wollumbin) caldera, ranging from the 
Springbrook plateau, south-east Queensland to 
Mt Matheson, and also on Mt Warning, north¬ 
east New South Wales. It occurs in complex 
or simple notophyll vine forest (Regional 
Ecosystems 12.8.3, 12.8.5 and 12.11.1) on 
basalt, rhyolite or metasediments between 
950 to 700 m altitude (to 100 m altitude if 
localities of Floyd below are confirmed). 
W. J.F. McDonald, Queensland Herbarium 
(pers. comm. 2009) has recorded this species 
in SE Queensland from Upper Mudgeeraba 
Creek, near Mt Gannon, Fairview Mountain 
(SpringbrookN.R) and Cave Creek, Numinbah 
Valley. Floyd (1977, 1989, 2008) records this 
species from Mount Nardi, Boomerang Falls, 
Billinudgel, Huonbrook and Upper Crystal 
Creek, and the following Nature Reserves: 
Andrew Johnson Big Scrub, Goonengerry, 
Inner Pocket, Mooball and Numinbah in New 
South Wales. No specimens have been seen 
from these localities. 
Phenology : The species flowers from 
November to January and fruits from February 
to April, or in July. 
Affinities: Mischocarpus ailae has been 
confused with M. lachnocarpus in the past 
as both species have similar leaves. However, 
M. ailae is readily distinguished from 
M. lachnocarpus by its flowers with 4 or 5 
petals {cf absent), its villous filaments ( cf. 
glabrous), and capsules that are yellow {cf. 
red or orange-red), globular or subglobular 
{cf. trigonous), larger (13-15 mm diameter 
cf. 5-8.5 mm diameter) and glabrous inside 
{cf. hairy along sutures inside), and its seeds 
with a yellow or orange aril {cf. purple or blue 
aril). 
