Phaleria octandra, commonly known as dwarf Phaleria, is a species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae, native to Indonesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. It is a rainforest shrub that was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1767, and it has the conservation status of least concern.
Description This is a shrub growing to about tall. It has elliptic leaves measuring up to long and wide, which are arranged in opposite pairs on the twigs. White scented flowers appear from November to February, followed in March and April by , shiny red fruit about long.
Distribution and habitat The westerly limit of Phaleria octandra'''s native range is the Indonesian island of Java, then eastward through the Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku Islands, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and south into the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. It is found as far south as Sarina, Queensland.
It inhabits mature rainforest on a variety of soils. In Australia it occurs up to about in altitude.
Taxonomy The species was first described in 1767 by Carl Linnaeus, who gave it the name Dais octandra. French botanist Henri Ernest Baillon transferred it to its current position in the genus Phaleria'' in 1873.
Conservation This species was assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2018 and found to be of least-concern. In its statement, the IUCN cites the lack of any perceived threat to the species, as well as a wide distribution and large population, as the basis for the assessment. It is also rated as least-concern by the Queensland Government under its Nature Conservation Act.
Cultivation Dwarf Phaleria is considered to be an attractive plant for cultivation, due to the dense clusters of showy flowers. It needs shade, aerated soil and plenty of moisture.
Gallery
References
External links
View a map of herbarium records of this species at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility View observations of this species on iNaturalist See images of this species on Flickriver.com