''Atalaya multiflora'', known as the broad leaved whitewood, is a rare and endangered

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...

tree of the

soapberry Soapberry is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * Plants in the genus ''Sapindus'', native to warm temperate to tropical regions in both the Old World and the New World. The berries of these plants contain a natural, low-sudsing de ...

family native to eastern Australia. The habitat is in the drier rainforest areas, often on rocky slopes of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90% of a ...

. However, it also is seen on sub-tropical lowland rainforest growing on alluvial soils. It was described by prolific botanist

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studi ...

in his ''

Flora Australiensis ''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume flora of Australia published b ...

'' in 1863, and was given the specific name ''multiflora'' because of the numerous flowers.

Description

A small tree up to 25 metres (80 ft) tall with a stem diameter of 40 cm (16 in). The base of the tree isn't quite cylindrical, but somewhat flanged and crooked. The bark is relatively smooth, coloured greyish brown. Small branches are thick, marked with

lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the bark of woody stems and roots of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It functions as a pore, providing a ...

s and showing obvious leaf scars.

Leaves

The compound leaves are arranged alternately on the stem and pinnate in shape, 7 to 24 cm (3–10 in) long with a stem 15 to 40 mm long. The leaflets are 4 to 12 cm (1.6–5 in) long, 1.5 to 4 cm (0.6-1.6 in) wide with a stem 2 to 5 mm long. There are usually two to three leaflets per compound leaf, oblong or ovate in shape, without leaf serrations. Relatively thick and notched at the tip of the leaf. There are around 12 pairs of straight lateral leaf veins per leaflet, more easily seen on the underside.

Flowers, fruit & regeneration

From December to January,

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 form at the end of branchlets with abundant tiny creamy flowers. The flowers have five petals and

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s, and with eight

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s. Near the flowers are many small bracts. The paired winged fruit (a fawn coloured samarae) forms from March to May. Each with a wing around 3 cm long opposite the round seed at the other end. Seeds last only a very short while on the ground, as they are soon attacked by insects. Fresh seeds should be soaked to kill insect larvae, then planted as soon as possible.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4812703 Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland multiflora Trees of Australia