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Adenodaphne is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae, of five species from New Caledonia. They are large trees characteristics of Rainforest in montane laurel forest habitats in New Caledonia and restricted to this region. They belong to an ancient Gondwanian element of Laurales. 12 chromosomes. A The genus was described by Spencer Le Marchant Moorepublished in Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany 45: 385in 1921.

They are leafy canopy trees with erect or spreading branches. It grows to heights of up to 15 metres some species 40 m. and have stout trunks up to 1 metre in diameter. The thick, leathery leaves are dark green. The leaves are glossy laurel type. The fruit is an ellipsoid to ovoid drupe or berry pale yellow to orange or red, and the seed is a single kernel. The seed dispersion is the result of scattering by columbiform birds mostly but also bats and endemics birds like kagu, parrots or rallidaes.

The forests are made up of laurel-leaved evergreen hardwood trees, harbouring a rich biota of understorey plants, invertebrates, birds and bats. Adenodaphne require continuously moist soil, and do not tolerate drought. These species are found in forests that face threats of destruction by human deforestation. It could caused the extinction of the genus across the restricted region area, resulting in the present distribution.

Species

• Adenodaphne corifolia
• Adenodaphne macrophylla
• Adenodaphne spathulata
• Adenodaphne triplinervia
• Adenodaphne uniflora

References

1. Template:Http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40032462

• Lauraceae
• Magnoliid families