Breynia 
turning red then black when ripe, depressed- 
globular, occasionally shortly beaked or shortly 
stipitate, 3-6(12) mm long, 4-8(10) mm diam., 
perianth persisting. Seeds brown, c. 4 mm long, 
3-sided, with a straight inner angle and curved outer 
side, hilum small. Flowering and fruiting: most 
months. Fig. 70 ; 
In eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, parts of 
EUPHORBIACEAE 209 
western Polynesia and widespread in northern 
Australia from the Kimberley to Cape York. Com- 
mon in the DR. On a variety of soil types in less fire 
prone habitats including edges of monsoon forest, 
riparian forest, edges of floodplains and maritime 
habitats. Plants with stipitate fruit have been referred 
to B. stipitata Muell.Arg. whilst those with beaked 
fruit have been referred to B. rhynchocarpa Benth. 
BRIEDELIA Willd. 
Bridelia Willd. orth. variant 
A genus of c. 60 species occurring in Africa and Asia. Four species occur in Australia, with 1 in the NT and 
the DR. 
B. tomentosa Blume 
A deciduous shrub or small tree to 5 m tall; 
branchlets with whitish lenticels. Shoots, branchlets, 
petioles and undersurface of leaves rusty tomentose 
when young, becoming glabrous with age. 
Stipules caducous, narrowly triangular, 2.5-4 mm 
long. Leaves alternate; petioles 2-5 mm long; blades 
discolorous, elliptic, narrowly elliptic or obovate, 
rarely ovate, 32-99 mm long, 15-51 mm wide, L/B 
1.4-2.4(3.5), with distinct yellowish venation, 
tertiary nerves + parallel, base rounded or cuneate, 
apex obtuse, subacuminate or rarely emarginate. 
Inflorescence axillary, fasciculate-glomerate, with 
small bracts, usually with only one fruit per 
inflorescence maturing. Flowers monoecious, 
5-merous, pedicels 0-1.5 mm long. Male flowers: 
calyx triangular, c. 1.3 mm long; petals triangular, 
c. 0.5 mm long; disk c. 1 mm diam., flattened; 
stamens 5, on an androgynophore. Female flowers: 
calyx broadly triangular, c. 1.8 mm long; petals 
obovate or elliptic, c. 1 mm long; outer margin of the 
disk thickened, undulating, entire, the inner margin 
clasping the ovary and irregularly 5-lobed; styles 2, 
each with 2 lobes, c. 0.5 mm long; ovary 2-locular, 2 
ovules per locule. Fruit a thinly fleshy black berry, 
5-7 mm long, 5-6 mm diam., depressed globular to 
ovoid, 1 seed per locule, calyx and petals persisting. 
Seeds brown, flattened ovoid, longitudinally furrowed 
on the inner surface. Flowering: Mar - June; fruiting: 
Mar - Sept. Fig. 70 
Throughout SE Asia, extending as far as India, Tai- 
wan and New Guinea and in Australia from the 
Kimberley to Cape York. Common in the DR. Often 
found with monsoon forest, but also on rocky slopes, 
beach dunes, riparian habitats and on laterite. The 
fruits are edible (Levitt, 1981; Russell-Smith, 1985). 
CHORICERAS Baill. 
A genus of 2 species restricted to New Guinea and northern Australia. One species occurs in the NT and DR. 
C. tricorne (Benth.) Airy Shaw 
Shrub or a small tree to 5 m tall. Young 
shoots, pedicels and peduncles white to fulvous 
tomentose-sericeous. Leaves opposite or on the main 
stems 3-whorled; petioles 2-3 mm long; blades 
discolorous, shiny above, elliptic, obovate or ovate, 
25-53 mm long, 14-26 mm wide, L/B 1.7-2.6, base 
cuneate or attenuate, margin crenulate-serrate with a 
minute mucro at the base of each lobe, apex blunt, 
emarginate or occasionally acute. Flowers 
monoecious, in dense axillary cymes 6-12 mm long; 
perianth segments 6 in 2 series. Male flowers: pedicels 
filiform, to 5 mm long; perianth segments membra- 
nous, orbicular, the outer c. 1.2 mm long, the inner 
c. 1.8 mm long; stamens 6 arising from a pilose 
receptacle, staminal filaments c. 2 mm long. Female 
flowers: 1-3 on a short common peduncle, pedicels 
thickened to 4 mm long; outer perianth segments tri- 
angular-ovate, c.-2 mm long, the inner ones triangu- 
lar, c. 1.5 mm long; ovary of 3(4) sericeous 2-ovuled 
locules; styles thickened, divaricate, recurved, c. 2 
mm long. Fruit a capsule, depressed globular, 7-8 mm 
