Flindersia brayleana

(Queensland Maple)

Description

This large rainforest tree, can grow to 30 m in height, it lacks prominent buttresses. Bark on mature trees has long vertical fissures. Leaves compound, opposite, with 4-12 leaflets, on young plants quite large (the compound leaf reaching almost a metre in length) but in mature trees leaves are smaller. The leaflet blades on mature leaves are about 8-18.5 long x 3.3-7.5 cm wide. Oil dots numerous and conspicuous, almost touching one another. Hold the leaf to the light and if necessary use a hand lens.

Flowers are in broad, much-branched panicles. Individual flowers are small, 6-8 mm across, five petals white with an orange centre. Fruits are dry, dehiscent capsules 6-10 cm long. When ripe, the fruits are brown and dry, with a smooth or shallowly textured surface. Each of the five valves contains two winged seeds.