Endiandra sankeyana

Endiandra sankeyana, commonly known as Sankey's walnut, is a plant in the laurel family Lauraceae that was first described in the late 19th century. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia, where it grows in that state's northeastern coastal rainforests.

Description
Sankey's walnut is an evergreen canopy tree growing up to 30 m high, and the trunk may be buttressed. The leaf bearing twigs are angular or fluted and covered in a fine indumentum. The leaves are dark green above and somewhat glaucous below with a petiole up to 18 mm long. They are lanceolate to elliptic to more or less obovate, and measure up to 17 by.

The much branched inflorescences are produced in the leaf axils and carry dozens of very small, fragrant, golden-yellow flowers about 2 - 3 mm wide. The fruit is a globose to ellipsoidal blue drupe, measuring up to 54 by and containing a single seed.

Taxonomy
This species was first described in 1893 by the Australian botanist Frederick Manson Bailey, and published in Botany Bulletin, a journal published by the then Queensland Department of Agriculture. Bailey's description was based on material collected by E. Cowley in "scrubs of the Barron River".

Etymology
The genus name Endiandra is formed from "endo" meaning inner or inside, and "andro" meaning male, which is a reference to the inner series of anthers being fertile. The species epithet sankeyana was chosen to honour J. R. Sankey.

Distribution and habitat
Endiandra sankeyana is found from the Cooktown region in the north to the area near Mission Beach in the south, with a single recorded sighting another 90 km further south near Ingham. It grows at elevations from sea level to around 1300 m, in mature rainforest on a variety of soils.

Ecology
Fruits of this species are eaten by Musky rat-kangaroos and cassowaries, both of which are recognised as important seed distributors for numerous species of plants. They are also eaten by native rodents.

Conservation
This species is listed by both the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as least concern.