1371

Austrobaileya scandens C.T.White

Synonym	:	Austrobaileya maculata C.T.White
Family	:	Austrobaileyaceae
Distribution	:	Queensland
Habitat	:	Daintree Rainforest endemic - Mesophyll / notophyll vine forest
Key botanical characters: Evergreen, woody vines with loosely twining main stem and straight, leafy lateral branches. Leaf blades. Flowers emit an unpleasant odour perhaps like decaying fish which attracts flies. Flowers large, about 4-5 cm diam., perianth segments grading from bracts to tepals. Total number of tepals about 19-24. Outermost tepals (sepals) rounded, about 3-6 mm long. Inner tepals (petals) arranged in irregular whorls, each tepal about 8-27 mm long, spotted (purplish spots). Stamens about each stamen thick and fleshy, Anthers about 7-8 mm long, filaments petaloid. Staminodes incurved, about 9-16, petaloid, about 15 x 3 mm, spotted with purple. Carpels about 10-13, each about 8 mm long. Ovules about 6 per carpel, borne on two placentas, one on each side of the carpel. Fruits carpels produced in each 'umbel'. Fruiting carpels stalked, each carpel about Seeds 2-6 per carpel  Cotyledons shorter than the radicle.