Plants
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Sighting 4683730

Terminalia petiolaris

Broome, WA

Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
Terminalia petiolaris at Broome, WA - 19 Jul 2025 12:23 PM
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Identification history

Terminalia petiolaris 20 Jul 2025 JasonPStewartNMsnc2016
Terminalia petiolaris 20 Jul 2025 JasonPStewartNMsnc2016
Terminalia petiolaris Benth. (1864 October 5) 20 Jul 2025 JasonPStewartNMsnc2016
Terminalia (genus) 19 Jul 2025 JasonPStewartNMsnc2016
Unverified 19 Jul 2025 Mike

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11 comments

JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
In my initial botanical keying out efforts, the information shown in these three photographs seems to key out to _Terminalia fitzgeraldii_
Note:
• these spikes (inflorescences) of flowers shown here apparently have many hairs on them.

Confer with _Terminalia ferdinandiana_, the famous Gubinge (or Kakadu plum), which has, quotation:
" Both shoot and spike glabrous or with a few scattered hairs ".

Please refer to the WA botanical key to _Terminalia_ spp., first part based on flowering material, here:
https://keybase.rbg.vic.gov.au/keys/show/10439
.
Mike wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
Do you want another photo while I am nearby?
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
I prefer you check first hand with your hands (feel) and eyes for the botanical key features, please while yes you're still nearby to this tree.

Including if these flowering spikes' axes really do have many hairs of them?
(or not ie. "glabrous or with a few scattered hairs" ?)
And add notes about this?

And checking the rest of the botanical key's features first hand with your hands and eyes, and add notes about these.
Making it so much easier and quicker for me to re-check the botanical key together with you and to then confirm our collaborative species identification.

In generalisation summary:
Botanical keys' features which prove difficult to photograph well, require the sighting author's checking these first hand and writing in the notes about them.
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
Some botanical keys' specifics, to please check if you've time still there:
• ripest fruits, approximately: The average of their lengths? And the average of their diameters? Eg. More than 2 cm diameter? More than 3 cm diameter? Or only up to 1.5 cm diameter? .
• petioles (leaves' stalks from joining the blade to joining the branch), approximately: the average of their lengths? Eg. More than 2 cm? Or less than 2 cm ? Or less than 1.5 cm?
• the branches as well, are they hairy?
• the undersides of the leaves, are they hairy?
• leaves' blades, approximately: their average widths eg. more than 5 cm wide or less than 5 cm wide?
• leaves' blades, approximately: their average lengths? (not including the petiole).
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
A good learning, worthwhile, identification challenge, for me, with my skills and existing field experiences with several _Terminalia_ spp. in NE Qld and CYP,
this sighting !

Please if you may, —after just now I am learning more about NW (WA) Terminalia spp.,
a couple of clearly macro–focussed close-up photographs of these open flowers.
(Only if not difficult, eg. if you have the macro photography camera lens settings or specific macro–lens and these open flowers are not out of reach).
Mike wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
Photos added. The combination of my eyes and phone might not be too helpful. I am never a good judge of hairiness. Fruit green turning through red to purple black. Thin juicy flesh and seed about 10mm long.
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
Ay thank you .
For these great quality two more photographs !
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
Ripe fruits' (skin and flesh and seed and all at once) approximate diameter and approximate length ?

Clarifying, you wrote the seed length is about 10 mm long ?

Eg. the key requires us to know whether the whole ripe fruit measures less than 1.5 cm diameter or more than 1.5 cm diameter ?
I would only be making an assumption to think your seed length about 10 mm means the whole fruits' diameter of less than 1.5 cm?

We per se, cannot identify this sighting to species without this information.

Excellent botanist Russell Barratt who regularly works in The Kimberley region, including the taxonomy of Kimberley _Terminalia_ spp.,
may know more field spotting features and gestalts' recognitions, of all of the Kimberley _Terminalia_ species, enabling him to identify this species by these five photographs per se.
Perhaps you have heard of him?
Mike wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
I will see if I can borrow a ruler to get some measurements. I thought these would be relatively easy. I have avoided reporting mangroves on my holiday because they can be quite difficult.
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   19 Jul 2025
_Terminalia_ spp. across northern Au have so much interest, many spp. and wonderfully worthwhile challenges to identify .

If these were easy to identify and few in spp. i wouldn't have motivation and interest in identifying and learning these,
and would work in other challenging sightings in NatureMapr, including those of my own sightings which i have challenges identifying . I am motivated by the achievable challenges (not by the easiest).
All about having sufficient diagnostic evidences (or not even attempting to identify to species).

I take note you're on holidays.
I hope you keep enjoying it !
JasonPStewartNMsnc2016 wrote:
   20 Jul 2025
Features (some) shown and describable in words, in these five photographs:
• substantial tree with a spreading canopy habit, growing near the coast.
• leaves with comparatively long petioles (in proportion to the leaves blades lengths),
• petioles along their length near the mid.–point having 1 gland on each side (±2 in total).
• leaves with ±obovate shapes, bases' cuneate to ±attenuate, apices ±acute .
• branchlets initially at least have appressed pubescent hairs .
• inflorescences spikes, with the flowers spaced apart from each other, and the axes have appressed hairs .
• flowers with white sepals appearing glabrous on the outsides, appearing sometimes hairy or glabrous on the insides and have acute apices .
• flowers insides conspicuously hairy (–presumably villous hairs coming up into the flowers' throats from the disc?).
• flowers have 10 stamens .
• this deciduous foliage, in this dry season, the outer branches drooping .
• fruits round in cross section, longer than their width, ±ovate (unripe) – ±elliptical (ripe) in shape, with terete beaks .
• fruits average length ...?, average diameter ...?, seeds inside about 10 mm long .
• fruits growing green, ripening through red to purple – black .
• fruits appearing in the fifth photograph, ripened to have a glaucous skin–surface bloom .
Etcetera .

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Location information

Sighting information

Species information

  • Terminalia petiolaris Scientific name
  • Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • 33m Recorded at altitude
  • Machine learning
  • External link More information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
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