Purple laurel, northern laurel
Cryptocarya hypospodia, Fam. Lauraceae
Medium to large tree with well developed buttresses in large specimens and grey, patchy, rough or cracked bark with lenticels on older branches.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Med tree, Large Tree |
| Family: | Lauraceae |
| Leaf: | Simple, alternate, spinally arranged, entire, elliptic to ovate, 6.2-24.5 x 2.5-13.5cm, penninerved. Juvenile leaves tend to be larger and more oblong to obovate. Glossy green above, underside green to glaucous, glabrous or when young, with straight and tortuous, appressed white or pale brown hairs. Domatia absent. Four to nine pairs of primary veins, oil dots minute, petiole 7-17m long. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Brown, Cream, Green |
| Flower description: | Axillary or pseudo-terminal panicles of small, bisexual flowers. Flowers cream, pale brown, creamy green or green, unpleasant odour. November to May. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Black |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | Black, globular to ovoid drupes, 15mm in diameter, ribbed when dry, smells somewhat of citrus. August to December. |
| Habitat: | Rainforest. |
| Distribution | Queensland. |
| Food source for: | Fruit eaten by the southern cassowary, superb and wompoo fruit doves, pied imperial and topknot pigeons, figbird, golden and tooth billed bowerbirds and metallic starling. Larval food plant for the blue triangle, Macleay's swallowtail, banded dusk flat, dark ciliated blue, shining pencilled blue and shining oak blue butterflies. |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia. |
| Notes: | Grow from fresh seed or cuttings, seed germinates in 19-70 days. Timber very tough and hard. |
| Information sources: | Melzer R. & Plumb J. (2007) Plants of Capricornia. |
