Cryptocarya microneura

Cryptocarya microneura
Fluted trunk of the Murrogun
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Cryptocarya
Species:	C. microneura
Binomial name
Cryptocarya microneura Meisn.

Cryptocarya microneura is a rainforest tree growing at the eastern coastal parts of Australia.

Habitat

Common in most warm temperate rainforest areas on the poorer sedimentary soils, but also in the littoral rainforests. It grows from near Batemans Bay in the southern Illawarra area (35° S) in New South Wales to near Nambour, Queensland (26° S).

Description

Cryptocarya microneura, known as the Murrogun is a small or medium sized tree to around 25 metres tall^[1] and 30 cm in diameter.

The bark is grey and somewhat corky on small trees, or greyish brown and scaly on larger trees. The trunk is often irregular or fluted in shape.

Leaves are alternate and simple, with a long blunt point at the tip. Upper surface glossy dark green, under surface paler green.

Flowers appear from September to November, being cream, unscented and in panicles. Flowers are finely downy.

The fruit is a drupe. Shiny, black and pointed. 12 mm in diameter with faint vertical ribs. Eaten by rainforest birds including the Topknot Pigeon. Like most Australian Cryptocarya fruit, removal of the fleshy aril is advised to assist seed germination.

Cryptocarya microneura is a larval host plant for the butterflies Chaetocneme beata, Netrocoryne repanda and Graphium sarpedon.

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  Cryptocarya microneura – leaves

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  Cryptocarya microneura – bark

References

1. ^ Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 1989, ISBN 0-909605-57-2 page 180

• Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 1989, ISBN 0-909605-57-2 page 180