''Cryptocarya erythroxylon'' is a medium to large

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, that grows from the

Barrington Tops Barrington Tops is part of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia, between Gloucester and Scone. In 1934, the area was difficult to access and was described as being "not traceable to any man-made feature". Part of the area ha ...

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 ...

to the

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

area in

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 common name is the pigeonberry ash, rose maple, or rose walnut. This is one of the largest

laurels ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as bay leaf for seasoning in cooking. I ...

in Australia. Mature specimens usually reach around 35 metres tall, though there is a 57 metre tall tree at Murray Scrub near

Kyogle Kyogle () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It falls within the local government area of Kyogle Council. At the 2016 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,751 people. Kyogle is known as a "gateway" ...

close to the NSW–Queensland border. It grows between 500 and 1050 m altitude. Trees of the genus ''

Cryptocarya ''Cryptocarya'' is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the laurel family, Lauraceae. The genus includes more than 350 species, distributed through the Neotropical, Afrotropical, Indomalayan, and Australasian realms. Overview The genus incl ...

'' are mostly from the tropics or warmer temperate areas. This tree is unusual as it grows in cooler regions, subject to frost and rare snowfall. It is also an unusually tall member of the genus. The trunk is often buttressed, and the grey or white cylindrical trunk is a conspicuous feature in the rainforest. Leaves are 6 to 13 centimetres long, white and veiny underneath. The small cream flowers form in early summer, the fruit is a black

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kerne ...

maturing in the cooler months. Germination occurs easily after removal of the black aril. File:Cryptocarya e - Comboyne NSW.jpg, Bark of ''Cryptocarya erythroxylon'', Comboyne, NSW File:Cryptocarya e - white bark.jpg, Bark of ''Cryptocarya erythroxylon'', Comboyne, NSW

References

* Floyd, Alexander G., ''Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia'', Inkata Press 1989, page 175 * Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales erythroxylon Laurales of Australia Trees of Australia Trees of mild maritime climate {{tree-stub