Myrsine richmondensis

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         Ripple-leaf Muttonwood

• Also, purple-leaf muttonwood

Conservation status: Endangered

Etymology:   

Flowers

• Greenish white flowers form in bundles of four or five, amongst the leaves or on old wood

• Flower stalks are not hairy, 0.5 to 1 mm long

• The flowering period is mostly around September to January

Fruit:                            

• Fruit mature between November and January; being a 3 to 4 mm diameter drupe

• Regeneration from roots suckers should occur readily

• Germination from fresh seed occurs without difficulty

• Removal of the fleshy aril is recommended to assist seed germination

Leaves:         

• Adult and juveniles leaves are wavy edged but not toothed

• Alternate on the stem, simple and elliptic in shape, 4 to 14 cm long

• Leaf stems 3 to 8 mm long

• Leaves taper to a blunt point

• Mid rib is raised on both sides

• Leaves have numerous yellow or red dots, or similarly coloured streak patterns

Stem & branches: 

• Has a cylindrical trunk

• Bark is grey or brown, mostly smooth with elongated cream coloured lenticles

• Small branches are mostly rounded in shape with scattered hairs, or hairless

Roots:         

• Has many root suckers

Habit:        

• 
  

• A shrub to small tree to around 5 metres tall

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

•  

• It is a very rare shrub of coastal areas of New South Wales; from Coraki on the Richmond River north to Mount Warning

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • First collected by colonial botanists by William Baeuerlen near Coraki in January 1892

  • Published by Betsy Jackes in 2005

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrsine_richmondensis (2023)