About Sloanea australis (Benth.) F.Muell.
Sloanea australis (Benth.) F.Muell. is a medium to large tree, reaching up to 30 metres (98 ft) in height with a stem diameter up to 60 cm (24 in). It has grey-brown bark, and its trunk is buttressed, crooked, flanged and irregular, with smaller branchlets growing from the main trunk. Alexander Floyd has recorded an individual of this species that reaches 55 metres (180 ft) tall, growing in Border Ranges National Park. This species has alternate leaves that are toothed, obovate, with wavy margins, and measure 7 to 30 cm (2.8 to 11.8 in) long. Some leaves have a shortly blunted tip. Leaf stalks are 6 to 25 mm (0.24 to 0.98 in) long, with a distinct bend at the junction where they meet the leaf blade. Leaf venation is prominent on both sides of the leaf. Cream-colored flowers form between October and November, growing singly or in short racemes. A woody fruit capsule, 15 to 20 mm (0.59 to 0.79 in) long, matures between February and June. Inside the capsule, a fleshy orange aril surrounds three to five glossy black seeds. The fruit of Sloanea australis is eaten by a range of rainforest birds, including the paradise riflebird. Germination from fresh seeds of this species is not particularly difficult, and woody branches and cuttings also root successfully.
