Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Moraceae
Tribe: Moreae
Genus: Streblus
Species: S. heterophyllus
Binomial name: Streblus heterophyllus
Synonyms: Paratrophis microphylla, Epicarpus microphyllus, Epicarpurus microphyllus, Taxotrophis microphylla, Paratrophis heterophylla.
Common names: Small-leaved milk tree, Turepo, Milk tree.
Streblus heterophyllus is endemic to New Zealand. It is widespread throughout the North and South Islands but is absent from Stewart Island. It grows in areas of lowland forests and forest margins where it will grow into a tree around 12 metres high.
The adult leaves are > 25mm in length >12mm wide and have a distinct vein pattern on the underside. As a juvenile plant, S. heterophyllus have distinctive fiddle-shaped leaves.
Streblus heterophyllus is dioecious and has both female and male flowers spikes on separate trees. Flowers appear from the middle of spring to summer. The male spikes are up to 2.5cm long and the females are >1.5cm. Red berries (4-5mm) following from late spring to autumn.
The top surface of a leaf.
The veined underside of a leaf.
Small-leaved milk tree seedling with its fiddle-shaped juvenile foliage.
The Streblus species often have galls forming on their inflorescences forming large clumps of distorted shoots called “Witches Broom”. These are caused by Eriophyes paratrophis which is an Eriophyid mite.
For more details on the Witches Broom.
http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/local-insects/mite-eriophyes-paratrophis-witches-broom-gall.html
A Witches Broom on Streblus heterophyllus.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
