128 PROTEACEAE 
long. Perianth yellow, 4-5 mm long. Fruit woody, 
linear, 40-60 mm long; seeds not seen. Flowering: 
Mar - May. Fig. 37 
Coastal Kimberley to near Port Keats. Restricted 
in the NT to sandstone areas from Keep R. to the 
Macadam Range; found only in narrow sandstone 
gorges. 
S. ‘Top End’ 
Tree to 20 m; bark dark brown, rough; blaze 
pink. Young growth rusty or rusty and grey sericeous, 
often persisting on the leaves and branchlets. 
Petioles 2-20(35) mm long. Leaf blades discolorous, 
shiny above, dull below; juveniles pinnately 3-7- 
Stenocarpus 
lobed, lanceolate or elliptic; adults entire, elliptic or 
broadly elliptic or broadly lanceolate, 55-150 mm 
long, 17-70 mm wide, L/W 2-5, with 3-5 major 
longitudinal veins, base attenuate, apex obtuse or 
acute. Umbels of 40-50 flowers, rusty or grey 
tomentose throughout; peduncles 12-27 mm long, 
pedicels 5-12 mm long. Perianth cream, 7-9 mm 
long. Fruit woody, linear, 30-80 mm long. Seeds 
not seen. Flowering: Mar - May; fruiting: Aug - Oct. 
Fig. 37 
A monsoon thicket species distributed from 
Melville Is. to Gove Peninsula, usually on laterite or 
sandstone. The species is similar in adult foliage to 
S. salignus R.Br. of Qld and NSW. 
HALORAGACEAE 
Submerged to emergent aquatic or amphibious herbs, sometimes terrestrial. Leaves alternate, 
opposite or whorled, tending to be pinnately veined, stipules absent. Flowers small, solitary and 
axillary or in terminal spikes, bisexual or unisexual, actinomorphic, 4-merous, bracteoles present. 
Calyx persistent in fruit, shorter than the petals, the latter commonly deciduous or sometimes absent. 
Petals hooded. Stamens 8, in 2 whorls. Ovary inferior, of 2-4 united carpels with 4 distinct feathery 
styles; ovules 1 per locule. Fruit an indehiscent nut or schizocarp splitting into 4 mericarps, 1-4 
locular, variously ornamented with wings, ribs or tubercules. 
A family of c. 8 genera and 100 species, widely distributed in the world but best developed in the southern 
hemisphere, especially Australia. Represented in the NT by 4 genera, with 2 in the DR. [Orchard, 1990] 
1. Plants terrestrial; fruit 1-seeded; leaves >2 mM Wide ...,......cscccsssessssscscssscssscscevecacscssevscaeaee Gonocarpus 
Myriophyllum 
GONOCARPUS Thunb. 
Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs. Stems 4-ribbed, hairy to varying degrees. Leaves decussate, sessile 
or shortly petiolate, margin serrate, scabrous, apex acute. Inflorescences of spikes or leafy panicles, flowers 
borne singly in the axils of alternate, leaf-like primary bracts. Pedicels short. Petals slightly keeled with 
stiff hairs. Stamens as long as petals. Ovary similar to fruit; styles pink, clavate. Fruit 8-ribbed, surface 
finely papillose, sepals persistent, incompletely 4-locular with 1 (rarely 2) ovules per locule, but only 1 ovule 
maturing to occupy the entire fruit. 
A genus of 41 species widespread in Australia and New Zealand, but also in Malesia and eastern Asia as far 
as Japan and Taiwan. In the NT 4 species are present, 2 of which are found in the DR. 
1. Decumbent herb; leaves 1-6 mm wide; fruit globular, c. 1 mm long 
with 1-2 oblique calli arising from the ribs ........c..ccsessssesssssssessssssssssssesessesessesessessessseesses G. chinensis 
1. Erect subshrub; leaves 4-19 mm wide; fruit cylindrical, 1.5- 2 mm long 
with 4 angular tubercules between the ribs ......c.sssssssssssessessessecssssessssechessscsessvessessesssssans G. leptothecus 
