Endiandra discolor

Endiandra discolor is a tree in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern Australia from central New South Wales to northeastern Queensland. Common names include rose walnut and domatia tree. It grows in tropical, subtropical or warm temperate rainforest, particularly on the poorer volcanic soil types, and alluvial soil near streams. It was first described in 1870, and has been given the conservation status of least concern.

Description

Endiandra discolor is a tree up to tall and very often buttressed. The bark is brown or brownish grey, smooth on younger trees. The bark of older trees is rougher, with small depressions in the bark which are sometimes inhabited by insects. Twigs and new shoots are covered with fine pale brown to white hairs, and twigs are fluted.
The leaves are simple and arranged alternately on the twigs, measuring up to long and wide. They are glabrous above and dull grey-green to white below, and held on a petiole up to long. They are elliptic to ovate with 3–7 lateral veins either side of the midrib, and conspicuous foveoles at their junction with the midrib.
Inflorescences are panicles produced in the and are shorter than or as long as the leaves. The scented, creamy green flowers are small and, measuring about long and wide, with three inner and three outer tepals.
The fruit is a shiny black drupe, about long and wide, containing a single brown seed about long by wide. The thin flesh is green, the cut seed is cream to pink. Like many Australian laurels, the seed is slightly ribbed.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by English botanist George Bentham in 1870, and published in his book Flora australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian territory.

Conservation

, this species has been assessed to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and by the Queensland Government under its Nature Conservation Act.

Ecology

Fruit are eaten by many rainforest birds, including the wompoo fruit dove, catbird, rose crowned fruit dove, superb fruit-dove and topknot pigeon. The leaves provide food for the larvae of the Macleay's swallowtail butterfly. The plant is also a larval host for the fruit fly, Bactrocera endiandrae.