Austrobaileya 8 ( 1 ): 99-102 ( 2009 ) 
99 
SHORT COMMUNICATION 
Rediscovery of Uncaria cordata (Lour.) Merr. var. 
cordata (Rubiaceae: Naucleeae) in Australia 
Andrew J. Ford 1 and Jack W. Hasenpusch 2 
'CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Climate Adaptation Flagship, Tropical Forest Research Centre, RO. 
Box 780, Atherton, Queensland 4883, Australia 
Australian Insect Farm, P.O. Box 26, Innisfail, Queensland 4860, Australia 
Uncaria Schreb. (Rubiaceae: Naucleeae ) 
comprises approximately 34 species 
distributed in central America, south-east 
Asia, Malesia, the western Pacific, Australia 
and Africa (Ridsdale 1978). All species 
are vines, characterised by the presence of 
persistent woody hooks at stem nodes and 
on old inflorescences. These hooks are the 
climbing agents within the genus and represent 
reduced and modified branches from one of the 
two axillary buds (Ridsdale 1978). Robbrecht 
(1988) placed Uncaria in the tribe Cinchoneae 
within the subfamily Cinchonoideae , 
although it is now accepted to be in the tribe 
Naucleeae (Razafimandimbison & Bremer 
2002). The tribe Naucleeae is distinguished 
from other tribes in Rubiaceae by having the 
combination of “numerous flowers arranged 
in globose inflorescences and epigynous floral 
nectaries deeply embedded in hypanthia” 
(Razafimandimbison & Bremer 2002). 
Currently, three species of Uncaria are 
recorded for Australia (Cooper & Cooper 
2004; Forster & Halford 2007), with all 
species restricted to Queensland, although 
none are endemic. Uncaria callophylla Blume 
ex Korth. is found on far northern Cape 
York Peninsula, U. cordata (Lour.) Merr. 
var. cordata is known only from between 
Gordonvale and Innisfail (south of Cairns), 
and U. lanosa var. appendiculata (Benth.) 
Ridsdale occurs discontinuously from the 
Iron Range area on Cape York Peninsula to 
the Tully River. See Fig. 1 for illustrations of 
all species. 
Accepted for publication 1 September 2009 
Uncaria cordata was first recorded for 
Australia in 1922 based on a collection by 
C.T. White from Mt Bellenden Ker at c. 450 
m altitude. Until recently, this remained the 
only known collection of the species from 
Australia. 
Following severe Tropical Cyclone 
“Larry” in March 2006 numerous landscape 
scale vegetation surveys (to assess exotic 
weed species occurrences) were undertaken 
in affected rainforest areas by researchers at 
CSIRO, Atherton including the first author. 
Cyclone “Larry” crossed the coast in the 
Innisfail area (south of Cairns) and proceeded 
in a westerly direction across the Atherton 
Tableland. “Larry” was a high category 4 
cyclone whose winds produced anything 
from severe to slight forest damage and was 
regarded as a once in 50 year event (Turton 
2008). One of these surveys, in April 2007 
at the Australian Insect Farm (Hasenpusch 
1999) on the Seymour Range, north of 
Innisfail, recorded the second collection of 
Uncaria cordata from Australia at an altitude 
of c. 70 m. 
Uncaria cordata (Lour.) Merr., Interpr. 
Herb. Rumph. 479 (1910); Restiaria cordata 
Lour., FI. Cochinch. 639 (1790); U. cordata 
var. cordata , Ridsdale, Blumea 24: 75 (1978). 
Type: Loureiro s.n. (BM), fide Ridsdale 
(1978: 74-75). 
For full synonomy see Ridsdale (1978: 74- 
75). 
Specimens examined: Queensland. Cook District: [Mt] 
Bellenden Ker, Mar 1922, White 1272 (BRI); Australian 
Insect Farm, off Davis road near Garradunga, Seymour 
Range, Apr 2007, FordAF4998 & Jensen (BRI, CNS). 
Distribution and habitat : Uncaria cordata 
var. cordata occurs from Burma and Thailand 
