Ternstroemia cherryi, commonly known as cherry beech, is a species of plant in the family Pentaphylacaceae. It is a small rainforest tree native to New Guinea and to tropical parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia.
Description Ternstroemia cherryi is an understory tree to tall which may be buttressed. Leaves are simple and are arranged in pairs or whorls. They can reach in length and in width and are somewhat fleshy with only the main lateral veins visible.
Flowers occur singly on the twigs below the leaves. They are white or cream, about diameter, actinomorphic, , with five petals and sepals, about 100 stamens and a single style.
The fruit is a yellow or orange capsule about diameter and up to long. They contain several seeds which are about long and are covered in a red aril.
Distribution and habitat This species inhabits rainforest throughout New Guinea (including the Bismarck Archipelago), in the northern part of the Northern Territory in and around Kakadu National Park, and in coastal and sub-coastal Queensland from about Tully to the islands of the Torres Strait. In Australia it occurs at altitudes up to about .
Conservation , this species has been assessed to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and by the Queensland Government under its Nature Conservation Act.
Uses In New Guinea, the bark was boiled to make a preparation for treating heartburn and headaches.
Gallery
References
External links
Map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium Observations of this species on iNaturalist Images of this species on Flickriver.com