Callicoma serratifolia

7 Black Wattle, Butterwood, Tdgerruing at Acton, ACT

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Identification history

Callicoma serratifolia	27 Jun 2025	Tapirlord
Callicoma serratifolia	27 Jun 2025	Heinol
Unverified	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.

11 comments

HelenCross wrote:

22 Jan 2025

Think you mean 4640132 Tim?

TimL wrote:

22 Jan 2025

Thanks Helen. Covid brain....

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.

JasonPStewart 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
.

Mike wrote:

26 Jan 2025

Backhousia leptopetala is planted in Sections 125 and 65 NSW Rainforest. https://www.anbg.gov.au/fap/#/index

JasonPStewart 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 .
Yet to check .

Heinol wrote:

27 Jun 2025

My suggestion is likely to be incorrect but given it has popped up in the above comments I am simply using this species to move the sighting away from fungi. I expect this sighting would be of interest to plant people so it is a shame to leave it hidden amongst the unidentified fungi where it first appeared.

JasonPStewart wrote:

27 Jun 2025

@Heinol . Good arvo both of you !
Fair enough.

Ciaran @Tapirlord have you concluded this really does identify to _Callicoma serratifolia_ ?

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Location information

Coordinates 149.108138 -35.277332
Altitude 630.4m
Maps ANBG
Places Acton, ACT

Sighting information

1 Abundance
21 Jan 2025 12:19 PM Recorded on
TimL Recorded by
Collections
TimL NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Featured Other Trees Plants Callicoma serratifolia

Species information

Callicoma serratifolia Scientific name
Black Wattle, Butterwood, Tdgerruing Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 1216.71m Recorded at altitude
In flower

Record quality

Images or audio
More than one media file
Verified by an expert moderator
Nearby sighting(s) of same species
GPS evidence of location
Description
Additional attributes