Guioa coriacea

Guioa coriacea , commonly known as cedar or island cedar, is a flowering plant in the family Sapindaceae. The specific epithet refers to the coriaceous leaves.

Description

It is a tree growing to 15 m in height. The shiny paripinnate leaves, with under-rolled edges and 1–4 pairs of leaflets, are 30–110 mm long, 12–50 mm wide. The white, tinged pink, 6 mm long flowers occur in clusters from December to February. The fruits are green-brown, 3-lobed woody capsules, 25 mm long. The small black seeds are 1–1.5 mm long and covered with a fleshy orange aril. The trees are often noticeable in early winter because of the orange arils on the seeds that have fallen to the ground.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea where it is common in sheltered lowland forest.