Family: Apocynaceae.
Synonyms: Ervatamia pubescens
Common names: Iodine bush, bitter bark
Habit: shortly hairy shrub to small tree to 5 m.
Foliage: leaves opposite elongated-oval tapering to base, 6.5-20 x 4-7 cm, leaves and foliage covered to greater or lesser extent with fine short hairs. Foliage exudes white latex when damaged.
Flowers; white fragrant flowers , 5 twisted petals fusing to form tube 10-14 mm long, regularly symmetrical, 8-12 mm wide, calyx +/- hairy, as for foliage. Flowers nov-feb.
Fruit: pair of ovoid, oblique dry orange fruits, 12-20 x 8-10 mm, three sided longitudinally winged, splits along one side to reveal many seeds with red succulent/ fleshy aril.
Notes: T. pubescens is sometimes considered a more or less hairy (short fine hairs) type of T. orientalis recorded from NT, nth WA and Qld, it’s habitat is very similar to that of T. orientalis. Habitats include monsoon forest thickets, stabilised sand dunes or sandstone country by streams and vine-thickets on rock outcrops. Appears as a regeneration species after logging operations and along the edges of rainforest and other areas where it can receive full sun. Latex also used as for other species and T. pubescens reported to contain alkaloids.