North swamp mahogany
Lophostemon suaveolens, Fam. Myrtaceae
A medium sized tree to 15m tall with distorted branches, an open crown and brown to grey, soft, flaky and fibrous bark. Lophostemon from the Greek ‘lophos’ a crest and ‘stemon’ a stamen, referring to the crest like bundles of stamen in the flower.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Med tree |
| Family: | Myrtaceae |
| Leaf: | Crowded at the ends of branches, egg shaped or oval. Light green above, paler beneath, midrib raised beneath and sunken above, 8-13 x 4-5cm. New growth densely hairy. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
White |
| Flower description: | White, five petalled with the stamens fused in five bundles, borne in small clusters of up to seven flowers. November to January. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Brown |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | Brown, hemispherical, three valved, thin walled capsules, 0.4-0.5 x 0.4-0.7cm. |
| Habitat: | Gallery (riverine or riparian) forest, wetland. |
| Distribution | Queensland, New South Wales, New Guinea. |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia, New Guinea |
| Notes: | Needs a reliable supply of moisture. Propagate from seed. |
| Information sources: | Atlas of Living Australia (2022) Lophostemon suaveolens (Sol. ex Gaertn.) Peter G.Wilson & J.T.Waterh., Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. |
