Beilschmiedia oligandra (Lauraceae)

Beilschmiedia oligandra
Distinctive sympodial branching

So far I have encountered this far north Queensland endemic tree only in the rainforest understorey and I cannot even be sure if it is B. oligandra or the Ivory Walnut. All my efforts to key this out (with only sterile material) has led me to this species as the most likely one. One rather distinctive feature about this species however (whether or not I am accurate with the identity) is that it seems to have conspicuous sympodial branching, very much like species of Terminalia, which I thought was pretty interesting for a Laurel.

More on this when I get more information.

About David Tng

I am David Tng, a hedonistic botanizer who pursues plants with a fervour. I chase the opportunity to delve into various aspects of the study of plants. I have spent untold hours staring at mosses and allied plants, taking picture of pollen, culturing orchids in clean cabinets, counting tree rings, monitoring plant flowering times, etc. I am currently engrossed in the study of plant ecology (a grand excuse to see 'anything I can). Sometimes I think of myself as a shadow taxonomist, a sentimental ecologist, and a spiritual environmentalist - but at the very root of it all, a "plant whisperer"!
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