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Identification history
| Unidentified | 22 Jan 2025 | TimL |
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User's notes
This is a follow-up to previous sighting 4640132 which I’ve assumed for the moment to be a fungus. The material from sighting 4640132 was no longer present on the bush when I checked to see if there had been any additional growth. Fortunately, there happened to be another small patch of this material about 15m from the original sighting, sitting on a leaf of a large bush adjacent to ANBG's Rainforest Gully. The patch of material was less than 10mm in diameter and contained the branched stalks and cone shapes seen in sighting 4640132. This current patch of material wasn’t fixed in place on the leaf and could be easily moved about and turned over to reveal the underside (fourth image). The second image shows a cone and branched stalk clearly growing from the fibrous mass of the base material. There were no other patches of this material on any of the leaves on the large bush and no obvious debris on the bush that may have fallen from the tree canopy above. So, still not sure what this was. Again, one for the experts.
9 comments
JTran
wrote:
22 Jan 2025
Are we sure this is a fungus and not something like degraded flowers? The "branched stalks" resemble stamens to me, and the cones could plausibly be sepal/receptacles, especially with how the stringy material attaches to them in bundles. I may have to phone a plant friend for this one - @Tapirlord thoughts?
TimL
wrote:
23 Jan 2025
As mentioned, I'm not sure what this was and the assumption of a fungus could be completely wrong. It might be a degraded flower as you suggest. Hopefully one of CNM's experts can help with identification. Thanks to all involved. Tim
CathB
wrote:
24 Jan 2025
Very strange! The cone-shaped objects remind me of the reproductive structures of some thallose liverworts such as Asterella. It could have perhaps dropped from some epiphytic species growing above. The mass of filaments could be rhizoids.
RWPurdie
wrote:
26 Jan 2025
My guess is that the photo is of about seven 'spent' flowers that have fallen from a tree, the base of each flower (we're looking at them side-on) showing 2-3 yellowish sepals and bundles of purplish-brown stamens that have been caught up with each other to the form the single 'mass'. The anthers are very small but visible in a couple of the photos.
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016
wrote:
26 Jan 2025
I guess from experience memories this possible candidate species ... :
Thank you Rosemary Purdie ( @RWPurdie ) for the experienced clear-thinking comment above just now, bringing me to look at this sighting just now .
Please carefully check out the flowers of :
*Backhousia leptopetala* (synonym: *Choricarpia leptopetala* ) – NatureMapr species page : Backhousia leptopetala .
Eg. @plants sighting : Backhousia leptopetala (Brush Turpentine) in Stanwell Park .
And let's check the botanic gardens plantings in the field and
in the gardens inventory if this species or a related species has been planted and grows as a tree here above this spot ?
Ref' to start with (in brief, without full citation):
• Flora of NSW online PlantNet :
https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Backhousia~leptopetala
• Australian Plant Image Index photographs:
https://anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apiiName2?name=Backhousia+leptopetala
.
Thank you Rosemary Purdie ( @RWPurdie ) for the experienced clear-thinking comment above just now, bringing me to look at this sighting just now .
Please carefully check out the flowers of :
*Backhousia leptopetala* (synonym: *Choricarpia leptopetala* ) – NatureMapr species page : Backhousia leptopetala .
Eg. @plants sighting : Backhousia leptopetala (Brush Turpentine) in Stanwell Park .
And let's check the botanic gardens plantings in the field and
in the gardens inventory if this species or a related species has been planted and grows as a tree here above this spot ?
Ref' to start with (in brief, without full citation):
• Flora of NSW online PlantNet :
https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Backhousia~leptopetala
• Australian Plant Image Index photographs:
https://anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apiiName2?name=Backhousia+leptopetala
.
Mike
wrote:
26 Jan 2025
Backhousia leptopetala is planted in Sections 125 and 65 NSW Rainforest. https://www.anbg.gov.au/fap/#/index
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016
wrote:
26 Jan 2025
Compare also with Backhousia subargentea (synonym: Choricarpia subargentea) .
Has stamens tomentose .
Also growing in the botanic gardens there .
Whereas Backhousia leptopetala has stamens glabrous (hairless) .
In these photographs so far i could not quite make out whether these stamens have hairs on them or not .
More possible candidate species especially in this Myrtaceae botanical family and a few more botanical families i suggest as candidates such as Cunoniaceae eg. Callicoma serratifolia .
To check .
Has stamens tomentose .
Also growing in the botanic gardens there .
Whereas Backhousia leptopetala has stamens glabrous (hairless) .
In these photographs so far i could not quite make out whether these stamens have hairs on them or not .
More possible candidate species especially in this Myrtaceae botanical family and a few more botanical families i suggest as candidates such as Cunoniaceae eg. Callicoma serratifolia .
To check .
Sighting information
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