Common name: Brittlewood
Claoxylon australe Baill. APNI*
Description: Shrub or small tree, often straggling and to c. 9 m high, glabrous or finely pubescent, small branches pale and brittle.
Leaves elliptic to oblong, lamina mostly 6–12 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, margins toothed, sometimes obscurely so; glossy or dull, glabrous or finely hairy; veins prominent on both surfaces; petiole 2–4 cm long with 1–5 raised glands on upper surface near apex; stipules minute.
Male racemes 5–8 cm long, females 3–5 cm long. Perianth segments greenish, c. 2 mm long.
Capsule 5–6 mm diam., purplish black, minutely pubescent; seeds 3, with a red aril; ripe summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Occurs in warmer rainforest on the coast and adjacent ranges, north from Bermagui.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, CT, ST, CWS
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by T. A. James & G. J. Harden
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 1 (1990)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.