''Arytera distylis'', known as the two-leaved coogera or twin-leaved coogera is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It grows by streams or in seaside rainforests. It occurs from the

Orara River Orara River, a perennial stream of the Clarence River catchment, is located in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Orara River rises on the eastern slopes of the Dorrigo Plateau, Great Dividing Range ...

in the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgoo ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, extending up to Maryborough in southeast

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. The twin leaf foliage makes identification of this plant fairly straightforward. The generic name ''Arytera'' is from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

for 'cup', referring to the cup-shaped fruit valves. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''distylis'' is from Latin and refers to the two

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

s in the flower.

Description

A small tree with a dense, pale green crown, occasionally reaching a height of over 20 metres (60 ft) tall, and a stem diameter of 35 cm (14 in). The base of the tree is flanged or buttressed. The trunk shape is irregular with smooth greyish bark. Young shoots on the small branches are noticeably hairy.

Leaves

The leaves are pinnate and alternate, of one to four un-toothed leaflets; however, they are usually of two leaflets, hence the common name. Leaflet shape varies, being ovate-oblong,

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regula ...

or elliptical. The leaf tip can be notched or fairly blunt. Leaflets are 4 to 8 cm long and 1.5 to 3.5 cm wide. The leaflet stalk is dark and can be up to 6 mm long. The main leaf stalk is from 9 to 18 mm long. Leaf veins are noticeable on both sides. Three to six hairless

domatia A domatium (plural: domatia, from the Latin "domus", meaning home) is a tiny chamber that houses arthropods, produced by a plant. Ideally domatia differ from galls in that they are produced by the plant rather than being induced by their inhabi ...

form where the lateral veins meet the leaf's midrib.

Flowers, fruit and regeneration

Small flowers form between September and October, being cream in colour, on small, hairy

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

s. Occasionally, the female flower forms on a

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...

. The fruit is an orange-yellow dry capsule, 9 to 13 mm long, maturing from October to February. Inside the capsule are one to three hairy lobes, with one seed per lobe. Seeds are relatively large, 9 mm long, partially covered in an orange or red aril. Seeds are eaten by rainforest birds, including the

figbird The figbirds are a genus (''Sphecotheres'') in the family of Old World orioles found in wooded habitats in Australia, New Guinea, and the Lesser Sundas. Taxonomy and systematics Formerly, the three species have been considered conspecific, b ...

and

regent bowerbird The regent bowerbird (''Sericulus chrysocephalus'') is a medium-sized, up to 25 cm long, sexually dimorphic bowerbird. The male bird is black with a golden orange-yellow crown, mantle and black-tipped wing feathers. It has yellow bill, black ...

. Fresh seed is recommended for planting. Germination occurs between three and eight weeks.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4802723 distylis Sapindales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales