Pseudocarapa nitidula var. latifolia Merr. & L.M.Perry
Anthocarapa is a genus of plants in the family Meliaceae. It is monotypic, meaning that it includes only one species, Anthocarapa nitidula, also known as incensewood. This is a rainforest tree with a natural range extending from the Philippines to the western Pacific, including eastern Australia. It was first described in 1863 and has a conservation status of least concern. The tree produces a useful timber.
Description
Anthocarapa nitidula is a tree that can reach up to 30m (98ft) in height with a trunk up to 65cm (26in) diameter. The trunk may produce buttresses up to 1m (3ft 3in) high. The compound leaves have four to six leaflets arranged in opposite pairs, each measuring up to 15cm (5.9in) long and 4.5cm (1.8in) wide. The leaflet blades taper into the petiole, making the division between the blade and petiole indistinct.
The inflorescence is a thyrse or panicle. The scented flowers have a green, five-lobed calyx about 3mm (0.12in) diameter, and five pale green to cream petals about 5mm (0.20in) long. There are ten stamens attached to the cup-shaped staminal tube, and the ovary has two or three locules, each with a single ovule.:502 The fruit is a pyramid- or bell-shaped, two- or three-valved capsule. They are brown and somewhat woody, and contain up to three seeds which are wrapped in a red aril.
In 1975, botanist Terence Dale Pennington described the species as being dioecious, that is, having male and female flowers on separate plants.:500 However more recent studies have shown that the plants can be monoecious (i.e. with male and female flowers) or male only, and since the male flowers fall quickly the plant gives the impression that it is dioecious.:133
In Australia the species is found along the northeast coast in two widely disjunct populations. The northern group extends over 900km (560mi) of coastal Queensland, from the top of Cape York Peninsula to about Cardwell. The southern group stretches about half that distance, from near Gin Gin in southeast Queensland to the area around Lismore in northeast New South Wales. The two populations are about 950km (590mi) apart.
Habitat
Incensewood grows in tropical and subtropical rainforest, monsoon forest and beach forest. In north Queensland it is found from sea level up to about 1,000m (3,300ft).
Taxonomy
It was first described, as Amoora nitidula, in 1863 by botanist George Bentham, and transferred to the current combination Anthocarapa nitidula by Terence Dale Pennington in 1975.
Conservation
This species was assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2020 and found to be of least concern. It is also rated as least concern by the Queensland Government under its Nature Conservation Act. In its statement, the IUCN cites the lack of any perceived threat to the species, as well as a wide distribution and large population, as the basis for the assessment.
Ecology
The fruits of this species are eaten by a variety of birds, including parrots, fruit doves, bowerbirds and honeyeaters.
Uses
The tree produces a durable timber which is sold under the trade name 'incensewood'. It has a density of 800kg/m3 (1,300lb/cuyd).
↑"Anthocarapa Pierre". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
↑"Anthocarapa Pierre". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
1234Mabberley, D.J. (2022). Kodela, P.G. (ed.). "Anthocarapa nitidula AUTHOR". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
12F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Anthocarapa nitidula". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
