''Elaeocarpus stellaris'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

Elaeocarpaceae Elaeocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants. The family contains approximately 615 species of trees and shrubs in 12 genera."Elaeocarpaceae" In: Klaus Kubitzki (ed.). ''The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants'' vol. VI. Springer-Verlag: Ber ...

and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to north-eastern

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. It is a tree, sometimes with

buttress root Buttress roots, also known as plank roots or stilt roots, are large, wide roots on all sides of a shallowly rooted tree. Typically, they are found in nutrient-poor tropical forest soils that may not be very deep. They may prevent the tree from fa ...

s at the base of the trunk, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, small groups of flowers with greenish-yellow

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and creamy-white petals, the fruit containing a five-flanged

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

Description

''Elaeocarpus stellaris'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of with a dbh of but sometimes up to and sometimes with buttress roots at the base of the trunk. The leaves are elliptic to egg-shaped, long and wide on a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

long. The flowers are borne in groups of two to five on a robust

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the ''rachi ...

up to long, each flower on a ridged

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long. The sepals are greenish-yellow, long and wide and velvelty-hairy on the back. The petals are creamy-white, about long and wide, with three broad, blunt lobes on the end. There are about fifty

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. Flowering occurs in December and the fruit is an elliptical

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

about long and wide containing a stone with five longitudinal flanges. This species is similar to '' E. bancroftii'' apart from the flanged stone.

Taxonomy

''Elaeocarpus stellaris'' was first formally described in 1969 by Lindsay Stuart Smith in ''

Contributions from the Queensland Herbarium ''Austrobaileya'' is a peer-reviewed annual scientific journal published by the Queensland Herbarium. It covers systematic botany, relating to the flora of Queensland and in particular tropical Australia. It was established in 1968 as ''Contributio ...

'' from material he collected Gregory Falls west of Innisfail.

Distribution and habitat

This quandong grows in well-developed rainforest at altitudes between in north-eastern Queensland.

Conservation status

This quandong is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government ''

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15318610 stellaris Oxalidales of Australia Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1969 Endemic flora of Australia Taxa named by Lindsay Stuart Smith