Hymenosporum flavum – Native Frangipani.
Family Pittosporaceae.
H. flavum, the Native Frangipani is the only species in the genus.
From north-eastern Queensland it is used in gardens, parks etc.
The trees can be up to 20 m high but most seen are up to 10 m.
They are narrow and upright.
Leaves, alternately arranged in a spiral, may be clustered at the branch ends and appear whorled.
The dark green leaves, on stalks, are up to around 14 cm long by 4 cm wide.
The blades are oblong to ovate, entire and pinnately veined.
The underside is paler with prominent veins and some hairs on the midrib.
Inflorescences are terminal clusters on a hairy stem.
Individual flower stalks are up to 4 cm long.
The calyx has 5 sepals to 8 mm long, smooth inside and hairy outside.
The 5 petals, to 40 mm long, are also hairy outside and smooth or slightly hairy inside.
The petal bases form a tube with flaring lobes at the top.
The bases are not fused but loosely held together by the hairs on them.
Flowers, 3 to 5 cm across, are white and darken to cream then yellow as they age.
There are 5 stamens whose filaments have hairs externally.
The ovary, with 2 locules, is also hairy.
The fruit are slightly flattened capsules up to 4 cm long by 3 cm wide.
Each chamber has many flat seeds stacked on top of each other.
Seeds have a marginal wing.
J.F.
