Cryptocarya bidwillii

Yellow laurel
	Cryptocarya bidwillii - flanged trunk
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Cryptocarya
Species:	C. bidwillii
Binomial name
	Cryptocarya bidwillii; Meisn.

Cryptocarya bidwillii, the yellow laurel, is a small to medium-sized tree in the

Townsville in tropical Queensland

. Often found in the dryer ridges in dry rainforest or in viney scrubs.

Naming

The

Wide Bay, Queensland. Cryptocarya is literally "concealed nut". Alluding to the fleshy perianth concealing the hard seed within. The Swiss botanist Carl Meissner

is the describing scientist.

Description

The yellow laurel reaches a height of 20 metres and a trunk diameter of 50 cm. Usually seen much smaller, with a low spreading crown on a short bole. Often seen with

coppice

shoots from the base.

Trunk, bark and leaves

The trunk is straight and round in cross section, though somewhat flanged or buttressed in larger specimens. The bark is grey or brown and usually fairly smooth. Some reddish lenticels or horizontal cracks may be seen. Small branches are smooth with green tips, with raised dots.

Leaves are alternate, elliptic, 6 to 12 cm long, with a blunt tip. Both leaf sides green and glossy. Leaf margins wavy, leaf stalks 5 to 10 mm long. Leaf veins visible on both surfaces, more evident above the leaf. Three to ten lateral veins, angled at 45 degrees to the mid-vein. Net veins easily seen. Underneath the leaf, the mid-vein is raised and slightly flattened.

Flowers, fruit and germination

White or cream flowers in

panicles

. Individual flowers about 3 mm long, bell shaped and hairy. Flowering occurs between November and January.

The fruit is a black globular

rose-crowned fruit-dove, topknot pigeon and wompoo fruit dove. Like most Australian Cryptocarya fruit, removal of the fleshy aril is advised to assist seed germination. Seeds germinate well.^[1]

References

Notes

^ "Cryptocarya bidwillii (LAURACEAE); Yellow laurel". Archived from the original on 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2010-02-17.

Bibliography

ISBN 978-0-9589436-7-3
.

"Cryptocarya~bidwillii". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
https://archive.today/20121215182221/http://www.brisrain.webcentral.com.au/01_cms/details_pop.asp?ID=98
"Cryptocarya bidwillii Meisn". Atlas of Living Australia.

[1] "Cryptocarya bidwillii (LAURACEAE); Yellow laurel". Archived from the original on 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2010-02-17.

[1]