Cryptocarya nova-anglica

Cryptocarya nova-anglica, the mountain laurel, is a rainforest tree growing in eastern Australia. The habitat is a restricted distribution in cool temperate rainforest mostly over 1,100 m in altitude. The range of natural distribution is from the upper Hastings River to near the border of the state of Queensland. It is an understorey tree, associated with the Antarctic beech, possumwood, golden sassafras and black olive berry trees.

The specific epithet nova-anglica refers to the occurrence of this plant growing in New England National Park, where it is most easily seen.

Description
A small to medium-sized tree, occasionally reaching 20 m tall and a trunk diameter of 45 cm. The base of the tree is not buttressed. The trunk is brown with some wrinkles and fissures. Small branches are fairly thick, orange or yellow and smooth. Buds are covered in downy hairs.

Leaves are simple, alternate on the stem, ovate-lanceolate in shape, 3 to 7 cm long, 1.6 to 3.5 cm wide with a long drawn-out tip. They are shiny dark green above, and dull grey below. The cream midrib is depressed above the leaf and raised below. Leaf veins are straight, not curved from the midrib. Leaf stalks are around 5 mm long.

Flowers, fruit & regeneration
Small, creamy green flowers form in the months of December and January. The panicles or racemes are tiny, around 1 cm long, appearing from the leaf axils.

Fruit matures in March to April, taking some fifteen months to mature. The fruit is a black drupe with a pointed tip, around 1 cm in diameter, fairly round or pear shaped. Like many Cryptocarya fruit, the seed can be ribbed, but not with all seeds in this species. Removal of the flesh should be undertaken before planting the seed.