Lumnitzera 
Distributed along the north coast of Australia 
from Broome to Moreton Bay and outside Australia 
from East Africa, Madagascar, through tropical 
Asia to Polynesia. Common in the DR. Usually 
COMBRETACEAE 143 
growing on the landward edges of mangrove 
communities on sand or mud where there is fresh- 
water seepage. Uses of the timber are listed by 
Wightman (1989). 
QUISQUALIS L. 
A genus of 17 species occurring in Africa and Asia. One introduced species is known from Australia and 
the DR. 
*Q. indica L. 
A vigorous evergreen root suckering scrambler 
or vine. Lower bark reddish and fibrous. Branchlets 
with an indumentum of crisped, rusty coloured 
hairs. Leaves opposite, pellucid-dotted; petioles 
5-7 mm long, rusty tomentose, partly persisting 
after fall of leaves and their bases forming thorns 
up to 15 mm long; blades elliptic, 45-90 mm long, 
17-49 mm wide, varying from tomentose to nearly 
glabrous, base rounded to subcordate, apex 
acuminate. Flowers in terminal or axillary bracteate 
spikes, 5-merous, sweetly scented, the whole 
60-68 mm long; calyx lobes broadly triangular, 
1.5-3 mm long; corolla pink to white with red 
markings, turning red with age, lobes oblong, 
11-20 mm long; stamens 10, the upper series 
exsert, the lower included. Fruit dry, ovoid to 
ellipsoid, with 5 longitudinal wings, to 40 mm long. 
Flowering: most months; rarely fruiting in the DR. 
Fig. 45 Rangoon Creeper 
Widespread in the tropics and subtropics of the 
Old World; widely cultivated elsewhere. Commonly 
cultivated in Darwin and often persisting in areas of 
past habitation. A difficult plant to control because 
inflorescence minutely rusty tomentose. Hypanthium __ of its root suckering habit. 
TERMINALIA L. 
Trees, mostly deciduous, branching usually sympodial. Leaves spirally arranged, often crowded towards | 
ends of branchlets, petiolate, often with glands and domatia. Flowers 5-merous, in axillary spikes, usually 
with male flowers towards apex and bisexual flowers towards base. Hypanthium short; calyx lobes deltoid or 
triangular; petals absent. Stamens 10, exserted. Fruit fleshy or dry and winged. 
A genus of c. 200 species widely distributed through the tropics of the Old World. In Australia there are 29 
native species of which 12 occur naturally in the DR. Terminalia catappa, T. melanocarpa and T. bellirica are 
cultivated in Darwin for shade; some local species (e.g. 7. microcarpa, T. erythrocarpa) are also cultivated. 
Pedley’s (1990) treatment differs in some detail to that given here. The following account more closely 
follows that of Byrnes (1977a). 
Three mechanisms of dispersal (wind, water and animals) are evident in the Australian species. The fruit of 
species of sea coasts and river margins typically have spongy or corky outer layers adapting them for water 
dispersal (e.g. T: catappa, T. erythrocarpa and T. platyphylla). The small fleshy fruited T. microcarpa is well 
adapted for dispersal by frugivorous birds. The larger fleshy fruited species of open forest and woodland (e.g. 
T. ferdinandiana, T. latipes and T. carpentariae) are probably dispersed by larger birds such as emus and 
bower birds. The widespread T. grandiflora has-a large fruit with a thick stony endocarp and may be dispersed 
by emus or in the past by now extinct megafauna. Species with winged fruit which typically live in savannas 
are wind dispersed (e.g. 7. platyptera, T. canescens and T. pterocarya). 
Various Australian species are used by humans. Three species have been tested for their food value (Miller 
et al., 1993). The kernel of Indian Almond (T. catappa) has a protein content of 20% and is used for food in 
many tropical countries. The kernels of 7. grandiflora are of similar protein content. The fleshy fruit of T. 
ferdinandiana is high in vitamin ‘C’; this species is now commercially available as Kakadu Plum jam. The 
flesh of T: catappa, T. carpentariae and T. microcarpa are eaten by Aboriginal people. [Coode, 1973; Byrnes, 
1977a; Pedley, 1990]. ; 
