Ford & Hasenpusch, Uncaria cordata 
to the Philippines, throughout Malesia 
(including New Guinea), reaching a southern 
limit in Australia. In Australia it is confined 
to the Wet Tropics bioregion in north-eastern 
Queensland, where it is currently known from 
only two localities. Although habitat data 
for the Mt Bellenden Ker area where White 
collected his specimen from are lacking, the 
vegetation at c. 450 m is likely to be mesophyll 
rainforest on a granite substrate. On the 
Seymour Range the substrate is metamorphic 
(schists, gneisses and metasediments) 
whilst the vegetation is similarly mesophyll 
rainforest. Common canopy species on the 
Seymour Range in association with Uncaria 
cordata include: Backhousia bancroftii 
F.M.Bailey & F.Muell. ex F.M.Bailey, 
Cardwellia sublimis F.Muell., Carnarvonia 
araliifolia F.Muell. var. araliifolia , 
Elaeocarpus bancroftii F.Muell. & F.M.Bailey, 
Endiandra montana C.T.White, Flindersia 
bourjotiana F.Muell., Flindersia pimenteliana 
101 
F.Muell., Macadamia whelanii (F.M.Bailey) 
F.M.Bailey and Musgravea heterophylla 
L.S.Sm. Common small trees and shrubs 
on the Seymour Range include: Apodytes 
brachystylis F.Muell, Brombya platynema 
F.Muell., Cryptocarya lividula B.Hyland, 
Cyclophyllum multiflorum S.T.Reynolds & 
R.J.F.Hend., Dysoxylum klanderi F.Muell., 
Hernandia albiflora (C.T.White) Kubitzki, 
Pittosporum rubiginosum A.Cunn., Polyscias 
australianaif . Muell.) Phil ipson and Symplocos 
paucistaminea F.Muell. & F.M.Bailey. The 
vegetation at these two localities fall within 
two Regional Ecosystems: 7.12.1a and 7.11.1a. 
(see www.derm.qld.gov.au/redd). 
Phenology : Flowers are unknown in Australia; 
fruits have been recorded in March. 
Notes. The Australian species of Uncaria 
may be distinguished with the following 
identification key. 
1 Leaf upper surface glabrous, domatia present as tufts of hairs on lower 
surface.U. callophylla 
1. Leaf upper surface variously hairy, domatia present or absent.2 
2 Midrib, lateral and minor venation depressed above on dried material; 
domatia absent.U. cordata 
2. Midrib and lateral venation raised above, minor venation flat 
above; domatia present.U. lanosa var. appendiculata 
Conservation status : Assuming that the Mt 
Bellenden Ker (Wooroonooran National Park) 
population is extant, although not verified, 
that would be the only occurrence of Uncaria 
cordata within the World Heritage Area 
(WHA) of the Wet Tropics. The Seymour 
Range population is on private land outside of 
the WHA and is currently known to comprise 
six individual plants, none of which have 
been seen fertile. The linear geographical 
separation of these two populations is c. 25 
km. The regional ecosystems in which these 
populations occur are common both around and 
between these populations, so there appears 
to be plentiful potential habitat; however, 
no additional recordings of U. cordata have 
been made. This is remarkable given that it 
is a conspicuous species and co-occurs with 
U. lanosa var. appendiculata on the Seymour 
Range. At the base of Mt Bellenden Ker U. 
lanosa is not an uncommon vine and has been 
collected numerous times within the known 
range of U. cordata. Presently U. cordata is 
classed as Rare under Queensland Nature 
Conservation Act (Wildlife) Regulation 2006; 
however, we consider it to be at risk at this 
time due to the single verified population 
and small number of individuals within 
Australia. As pointed out by Fell (2007), there 
is a need to acknowledge the “difficulties in 
attributing conservation status to taxa which 
are rare in Queensland., but widespread 
in neighbouring regions”, such as Malesia 
(including New Guinea). We suggest that 
within Australia, U. cordata has an extent 
of occurrence no more than 250 km * 1 2 and 
an area of occupation no more than 10 km 2 . 
Uncaria cordata could be allocated the status 
