Sarcopteryx stipata, known as the steelwood, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia occurring from the Bulga Plateau and Comboyne Plateau north west of Taree, New South Wales as far north as Fraser Island off the coast of south eastern Queensland. It grows in sub tropical rainforest but sometimes occurs in warm temperate rainforests on poorer soils. It is a member of the soap berry family. The generic name Sarcopteryx translates to "fleshy wing", as the fruit can be wing shaped. Stipata means "surrounded".[1] The common name steelwood refers to the very tough, hard and heavy timber.
Usually seen as a small tree up to 10 metres in height, although a 40 metre tall tree with a trunk diameter of 75cm (30inches) was recorded at Griers Scrub in Nightcap National Park.[2] The base of larger trees is somewhat flanged. Bark is hard and grey in colour, and often marked with irregularities such as wrinkles, horizontal bands and bumps. Small branches are thick, longitudinally ridged, and with soft brown hairs. Brown hairs occur on many parts of the plant.
Compound leaves are 9to long, with six leaflets, occasionally three to nine leaflets. Leaflets are 4to long and 1.5to wide,[3] broad lanceolate in shape, narrowed at the base, and with a long fine leaf tip. The left and right halves of the leaflets are unequal in size. They are shiny green above, duller below with some brown hairs. The compound leaf stalk is brown and hairy, and swollen where it joins the branchlet. Leaflet stalks are between 3and long, leaf veins are raised on both sides. Some lateral veins become wider and thicker where meeting the main mid rib of the leaf.
White or cream flowers appear from August to October on panicles, either at the end of the branchlets or from the axils of the leaves. Petals are 2mm long. The fruit is a red or pink capsule 13mm in diameter. It has three or four angles, with three cells, each containing one brown shiny cylindrical seed, 5mm in diameter. A yellow aril completely covers the seed.The fruit matures in November and December and is eaten by the green catbird and Lewin's honeyeater. Germination from fresh seed is slow but reliable - removal of the yellow aril from the seed is advised. After four months practically all seeds should germinate.
. Alexander Floyd . Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia . Inkata Press . 2008 . 978-0-9589436-7-3 . 94 .
. Alexander Floyd . Australian Rainforests in NSW . 2 . Surrey Beatty & Sons . 1990 . 0-949324-32-9 . 178.