148 COMBRETACEAE 
tapered, apex obtuse to rounded. Inflorescences 
60-170 mm long, with an indumentum of short 
tomentose brown hairs. Fruit fleshy, yellowish- 
green, ovoid, 22-40 mm long, 13-18 mm wide, with 
a persistent indumentum of short tomentose brown 
hairs, flattened and beaked when immature. 
Flowering: with the new growth during Sept - Oct; 
fruiting: immature fruit are held until they ripen in 
the following Sept - Oct. Fig. 46 
In the Kimberley and the Top End, from Broome 
to eastern Arnhem Land and Vanderlin Is. In the 
southern part of the DR. Growing on skeletal soils on 
sandstone or quartzite. 
T. microcarpa Decne 
T. sericocarpa F.Muell. 
A semideciduous or deciduous tree to 30 m tall. 
Bark black, fissured, hard. Young shoots brown 
sericeous to tomentose, becoming glabrous with age. 
Petioles 2-10 mm long, glands absent. Leaf blades 
discolorous, obovate to spathulate, occasionally 
elliptic, 40-160 mm long, 15-70 mm wide, L/W 1.5- 
3.1, sericeous to glabrous, domatia present, base 
cuneate to attenuate, apex obtuse to emarginate, 
often shortly acuminate. Jnflorescences 35-114 mm 
long, sericeous. Fruit purple, thinly fleshy, flattened- 
ellipsoid, 11-14 mm long, 7-8 mm wide, sericeous. 
Flowering: Sept - Nov; fruiting: mainly Nov, but 
occasionally later. Fig. 46 
New Guinea and Australia from the Kimberley to 
Qld, between Kalumburu and Rockhampton, mostly 
within 100 km of the coast. A monsoon forest 
species, common in the DR along streams and 
floodplain margins where there is moisture at least at 
depth. The fruit are a favourite with frugivorous birds; 
also palatable to humans. Byrnes (1977a) comments 
on the closeness of T. sericocarpa and T. microcarpa 
and after examination of material at Kew (by GJL 
and M. Coode) we are convinced that the two are 
synonymous. 
T. platyphylla F.Muell. 
A semideciduous tree to 10 m tall, rarely more. 
Bark grey, fissured. All parts softly tomentose. 
Petioles 17-50 mm long, bearing glands. Leaf blades 
slightly discolorous, coriaceous, elliptic to obovate, 
74-195 mm long, 40-125 mm wide, L/W 1.1-2, 
becoming glabrescent above, domatia sometimes 
present, inconspicuous, glands present on the veins 
of the lamina, base attenuate to truncate, apex obtuse 
to broadly emarginate. Inflorescences 64-165 mm 
long. Fruit purple, thinly fleshy, narrowly ellipsoid, 
occasionally ovoid to obovoid, 20-40 mm long, 9-12 
Terminalia 
mm wide, including a narrow beak of 3-10 mm long, 
glabrescent. Flowering: Oct - Feb; fruiting: May - 
Sept. Fig. 46 
Found across northern Australia north of 20°S 
latitude. Common in the DR; on banks of permanent 
and seasonal streams or occasionally on alluvium. 
T. platyptera F.Muell. 
A deciduous tree to 10 m. Bark grey, tessellated. 
All parts softly tomentose when young, becoming less 
hairy with age. Petioles 10-18 mm long, with a pair 
of lateral glands. Leaf blades coriaceous, discolorous, 
oblanceolate, obovate or elliptic, 35-95 mm long, 14- 
40 mm wide, L/W 1.5-3.5, undersurface with distinct, 
fine reticulate venation; usually tomentose when 
mature, at least below, domatia absent, base cuneate, 
often unequal, apex obtuse (occasionally emarginate). 
Inflorescences 50-150 mm long. Fruit 2-winged, yel- 
low, body 20-28 mm long, including divaricate wings 
59-115 mm wide, tomentose to sparsely tomentose. 
Flowering: Nov - Jan; fruiting: Apr - Sept. Fig. 46 
From the eastern Kimberley to Qld. In the DR 
known only from near the Douglas R. Grows on a 
variety of soils, but often with a high clay content. 
Forms woodland and open woodland communities. 
T. pterocarya F.Muell. 
A slender evergreen tree to 5 m, sometimes in short 
coppicing stands. Bark brown-grey, plated. Branchlets 
pendulous. Petioles, base of leaves, young leaves and 
branchlets with a short adpressed indumentum which 
is sparse or absent on the older leaves. Petioles 5-18 
mm long, tomentose. Leaf blades concolorous, 
elliptical, broadly elliptic to obovate, occasionally 
rhomboidal, 22-75 mm long, 10-50 mm wide, L/W 
1.3-2.5, 1-several domatia often present, base 
attenuate with a pair of indistinct lateral glands at 
the junction with the petiole, apex obtuse to 
occasionally emarginate. Inflorescences 24-110 mm 
long. Fruit dry, winged, flattened, elliptic, 25-30 mm 
long, 11-20 mm wide overall, wing 7-10 mm wide. 
Flowering: most months but mainly Dec - Mar; 
fruiting: Mar - July. Fig. 46 
Endemic to the Top End and common in the DR. 
On sandy soils along broad drainage lines or on allu- 
vial soils near creeks. Closely related to T. canescens. 
T. volucris R.Br. ex Benth. 
T. oblongata subsp. volucris (R.Br. ex Benth.) Pedley 
A deciduous tree to 7 m tall. Bark grey, tessellated, 
persistent. Young parts densely sericeous to 
tomentose, becoming glabrescent at maturity. 
