Plants
Other Shrubs
Sighting 3392973

Hedycarya angustifolia

Austral Mulberry at Cotter River, ACT

Hedycarya angustifolia at Cotter River, ACT - 11 Mar 2018 02:14 PM
Hedycarya angustifolia at Cotter River, ACT - 11 Mar 2018 02:14 PM
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Identification history

Hedycarya angustifolia 1 Jun 2023 Tapirlord
Hedycarya angustifolia 18 May 2018 MichaelMulvaney
Hedycarya angustifolia 15 Mar 2018 ACTBioSecurity

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User's notes

Austral mulberry? - at western limit of its range.

13 comments

BettyDonWood wrote:
   19 May 2018
I don’t think so. According to Gwen Harden’s app “Rainforest Plants of Australia” the veins of the leaves of Hedycarya angustifolia are paired, which the veins in this photo are not, and the leaf margins have prominent or blunt teeth with callus points.

Wait till it flowers.
MichaelMulvaney wrote:
   21 May 2018
Thanks Betty
rainer wrote:
   10 Aug 2018
May be Viburnum tinus, Laurustinus, an exotic garden species which has berries, thus likely dispersed via birds into bushland. I occasionally see this species in the bush!
MichaelMulvaney wrote:
   10 Aug 2018
Thanks Rainer - Steve can you keep an eye on this one it may come into flower in the next month or so
Tapirlord wrote:
   1 Jun 2023
Pretty sure this is actually austral mulberry, having had a look at this several times and keyed myself I don't see that there is another option. I also don't agree with Betty's comments here, they don't seem to align with other images of this species (from verifiable sources). The suggestion of Viburnum tinus is an interesting one, but I don't see it at a serious contender at this location.
rainer wrote:
   1 Jun 2023
This specimen lacks the toothed margins which are characteristic of Hedycarya. Another three really good pointers for V. tinus are:

1. Asymmetrical leaf bases;

2. Leaf surfaces that are differently coloured on the upper vs. lower surfaces ; and

3. Hairy veins on the lower surface, which you can make out on zooming in.

Also, the leaf margins are slightly revolute.

https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Viburnum~tinus
rainer wrote:
   1 Jun 2023
If this is indeed a V. tinus, and there’s no reason it would not be given the many old gardens here, then it shows how potentially invasive this sleeper weed is.
natureguy wrote:
   1 Jun 2023
Hmm yes I have had a few looks at this, still haven't been particularly convinced either way as I can see points from both sides and am not convinced on either of those two species I must admit.
RogerF wrote:
   2 Jun 2023
The site is a good one for Hedycarya I.e. sheltered gullies.
Tapirlord wrote:
   2 Jun 2023
Appreciate the comments Rainer, i have to say we still don't agree here but it is always great to have discussion.

It seems to me that the degree to which the leaf margins are toothed in Hedycarya angustifolia is relatively variable. When zooming in, i'm seeing what i'd call toothed leaf margins though granted they are not particularly pronouced. At the very least the leaf margins aren't entire as they should be in Viburnum.

I've linked a couple sightings which I think illustrate this point:
Hedycarya angustifolia (Austral Mulberry)
Hedycarya angustifolia (Austral Mulberry)

When considering other botanical features, It seems to me that both species we are considering here have differently coloured upper and lower leaf surfaces. I am also having difficultly seeing vein hairs on the lower leaf surface (I actually assumed they were glabrous when I keyed this). Additionally, the Viburnum plants in my area seem to have a deep red colouration on new growth which isn't present in these photographs.

In terms of locality, again I do think that Viburnum is an unlikely contender at this site. I know that historically plantings did occur in this part of Namadgi, but my understanding is that these were arboreta rather than gardens which were set up in order to determine suitable timber species (Pines, eucalyptus etc.). As such I think it unlikey that Viburnum would've been included as a part of these plantings. Also worth saying that all but one of these plantations were destroyed in the 2003 fires, and from my observations at several sites introduced species rarely persisted after the burn.

I'd also make the point that the observer has recorded 50 plants for this sighting, this would be a serious infestation if we were talking about Viburnum. I've never encountered an infestation of that magnitude, but that's not to say there isn't one out there.


Once again its great to have had a number of viewpoints raised here, particularly yours Rainer.

Cheers,

Ciaran.
natureguy wrote:
   2 Jun 2023
Thanks Ciaran, great to have such a thorough explanation here. I was tending towards Hedycarya over Viburnum anyway but I think you raise some good points here, so thanks for going over this in such detail
rainer wrote:
   2 Jun 2023
Excellent, good argument for Hedycarya. I should have looked at the map. My impression was that it was closer to Cotter Reserve!
RogerF wrote:
   2 Jun 2023
I also find the map titles confusing and need to check the actual map and enlarge it to locate the actual site. I think I have seen Hedycarya along Curry's Road.

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