''Doryphora'' is a genus of

plant Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

in the family

Atherospermataceae The Atherospermataceae, commonly known as the southern sassafrases, are a family of broadleaf evergreen trees and shrubs. The family includes 14 species in seven genera. The atherosperms are today mostly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, wi ...

, or formerly

Monimiaceae The Monimiaceae is a family of flowering plants in the magnoliid order Laurales.Peter F. Stevens (2001 onwards). "Monimiaceae" At: Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. At: Botanical Databases At: Missouri Botanical Garden Website. (see ''External link ...

. It contains four species, two endemic to Australia and two to New Caledonia.

Overview

They are evergreen trees or shrubs from southern hemisphere of

gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final st ...

n origin, native to the temperate rainforests. The trees will reach approximately 100 feet (30 m) tall. They have dark to medium green lanceolate

lauroid This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

leaves with serrated edges. The leaves have a strong sarsaparilla odor when crushed. The lumber is used in cabinetry and a tonic is made from the bark of some species, '' Doryphora aromatica'' and ''

Doryphora sassafras ''Doryphora sassafras'', commonly known as sassafras, yellow-, canary- or golden sassafras, or golden deal, is a species of evergreen tree of the family Atherospermataceae native to the subtropical and temperate rainforests of eastern New So ...

'', which also have insect-repelling properties. The flowers are white star-shaped. The blooms cover the tree at canopy level in the rainforest. They are

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

plants and need partial shade to full sun with a moist well-drained soil mix. The plants must kept moist at all times. The winter temperature must not fall below 50 °F (10 °C). ''Doryphora'' are propagated by birds that eat the berries. The seed are very small and germinate in 80–100 days at 70 °F (21 °C). This genus originated in the

Antarctic flora Antarctic flora are a distinct community of vascular plants which evolved millions of years ago on the supercontinent of Gondwana. Presently, species of Antarctica flora reside on several now separated areas of the Southern Hemisphere, includin ...

, and shares plant species with

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

, New Caledonia,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and Australia, in habitats of

and temperate

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 ...

. It was in the Cretaceous that angiosperm flora colonized New Zealand and New Caledonia, from South America, along the Antarctic margin of Gondwana, with species as Nothofagus and Proteaceae. They are yet umbrófila plants in forest or rainforest in place like New Caledonia. The genus includes plants with

vicariant Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

species that fulfil the same ecological role in other areas. The role of ''Nothofagus'' and Podocarpaceae was occupied by the ''

Taxus ''Taxus'' is a genus of coniferous trees or shrubs known as yews in the family Taxaceae. They are relatively slow-growing and can be very long-lived, and reach heights of , with trunk girth averaging . They have reddish bark, lanceolate, flat, ...

'' and various oaks in other places.

Species

*'' Doryphora aromatica'' ( Bailey) L.S.Sm. (northeast Queensland) *''

Endl. Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna. ...

(east Queensland and New South Wales) *'' Doryphora austro-caledonica'' Seem. *''

Doryphora vieillardi ''Doryphora'' is a genus of plant in the family Atherospermataceae, or formerly Monimiaceae. It contains four species, two endemic to Australia and two to New Caledonia. Overview They are evergreen trees or shrubs from southern hemisphere of ...

Baill. Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895. Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on b ...

(New Caledonia) Atherospermataceae Laurales genera Laurales of Australia {{Australia-plant-stub