Litsea bindoniana (F.Muell.) F.Muell.

Lauraceae

Mueller, F.J.H. von (1883) Systematic Census of Australian Plants : 4.

Round-leaved Bollywood; Big Leaf Bollywood; Bollywood, Big Leaf; Bollywood; Round Leaf Bollywood

A thin cream or pale brown layer normally visible beneath the subrhytidome layer before the first section of the outer blaze.

Twigs terete or fluted, clothed in straight and tortuous, brown and white, erect hairs which persist even on mature twigs. Leaf blades about 11-27.5 x 5-18 cm. On small trees leaf blades rather large, up to 14 x 10 cm or larger. Leaf blades green on the underside, clothed in inconspicuous, short, straight and tortuous, white, appressed and erect hairs which persist even on old leaves, very small foveoles sometimes apparent in the axils of the lateral veins. Midrib flush with the upper surface. Petioles flat or channelled on the upper surface. Oil dots visible with a lens.

Male flowers: Tepals about 1.8-2.8 mm long. Glands attached to the staminal filaments. Stamens about 8-12 per flower, filaments pubescent. Female flowers: Tepals about 1.2-2.4 mm long. Glands attached to the staminodes. Ovary pubescent, at least towards the apex.

Fruits ellipsoid, about 14-15.5 x 11.5-12.5 mm. Receptacle about 10-11 x 9-11 mm. Seed about 10.5-11 x 7.5-10 mm. Cotyledons cream or yellowish.

First pair of leaves ovate, about 40-54 x 26-37 mm, slightly glaucous on the underside. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves +/- elliptic, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneate, upper surface with a few hairs along the midrib, underside somewhat glaucous, hairy on the midrib and main lateral veins; oil dots very small, just visible with a lens. Seed germination time 24 to 32 days.

Endemic to Queensland, occurs in NEQ and CEQ. Altitudinal range from sea level to 1000 m. Grows in well developed rain forest on a variety of sites.

This species grows large enough to produce millable logs and the sawn timber is marketed as Bollywood, a useful lightweight, general purpose timber. Wood specific gravity 0.44-0.56. Hyland (1989).

Tetranthera bindoniana (F.Muell.) Benth., Flora Australiensis 5: 305(1870). Malapoenna bindoniana (F.Muell.) Kuntze, Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 571(1891). Cylicodaphne bindoniana F.Muell., Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 5: 167(1865), Type: Mt McAllister, J. Dallachy, holo: MEL, iso: A, BO, MEL, NSW, K.