Austrobaileya scandens

Family: Austrobaileyaceae

Country of Origin: Queensland (Cook, North Kennedy)

Description: Evergreen, woody vines with loosely twining main stem and straight, leafy lateral branches endemic to the rainforests of northeast Queensland, Australia. This species is one of two species in the genus and the genus is the only member of the family, Austrobaileyaceae. It is a very primitive angiosperm family although it is sometimes placed in the Magnoliales (Cronquist) or Laurales. Cronquist considers it an "isolated small group, not wholly compatible with the bulk of either the Laurales or Magnoliales, but not sufficiently distinctive to constitute a family of its own."

The flowers are rather large, solitary in the axils of the leaves, with a putrescent odor, probably pollinated by flies.

Its pollen is the oldest recorded flowering plant pollen in Australia.

USDA Zone: 9-11?

Accession #: 200202459

Accession Date: 2002-10-17

Bloom Status: 🪴 Not Flowering

Location: 3108

Quantity: 2

Source: Tim Devine - CSU Chico

Provenance:

CSU Chico ex UC Berkeley BG# 72.615 ex Arnold Arboretum.  
This makes this accession the same clone as 200201878 but will keep both as backup against loss. 

See Arnoldia, Volume 38 Number 3 – May 1978 (link below) for more information on original provenance.

Culture: Austrobaileya foliage tends to 'burn' in direct sunlight, so it prefers to stay well beneath the rainforest canopy where it enjoys living in low-sunlight, wet and damp areas.

Also appears quite susceptible to burning from soaps, oils and emulsifiable carriers.

NOTE: "... Austrobaileya used to flower only sporadically in lower light and warmer conditions in the greenhouses. After placing the plant to a brighter position where it receives a slight winter chill (50F) nights the plant now flowers annually and quite prolifically...
Personal communication with Marc Hachadourian - NYBG

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Subclass: basal angiosperms

Order: Austrobaileyales

Family: Austrobaileyaceae