Hypserpa laurina is a slender twining climber in the plant family Menispermaceae. It is native to New Guinea and north eastern Queensland in Australia.
This species is a small vine with a maximum recorded stem diameter of 10 cm (3.9 in).[4] It has pendulous branches and the leaves are alternate, 3-veined, elliptic, and measure up to 20 by 7.5 cm (7.9 by 3.0 in)[4][5]
Flowers are pale yellow in colour, male flowers measure about 5 mm (0.20 in) diameter, female flowers about 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) diameter.[4]
The fruit is a red globular drupe measuring about 15 by 14 mm (0.6 by 0.6 in)[4][5]
Flowering occurs from July to February, fruits ripen from November to April.[5]
The basionym Selwynia laurina was first described by the German-born Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in his work Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae in 1864.[6] The German botanist Ludwig Diels reviewed the genus and gave this taxon the new combination Hypserpa laurina, which was published in Adolf Engler's work Das Pflanzenreich: Regni vegetabilis conspectus in 1910.[7]
Hypserpa laurina grows in rainforest on the east coast of northern Australia, from Airlie Beach in north Queensland, northwards to Cape York Peninsula and then to New Guinea. It can be found at altitudes from sea level to 1,000 m (3,280 ft).[4][8]
Fruits of the laurel-leaf hypserpa are eaten by cassowaries and fruit pigeons.[4]
This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as least concern.[1] As of 21 November 2022, it has not been assessed by the IUCN.
Hypserpa laurina is a slender twining climber in the plant family Menispermaceae. It is native to New Guinea and north eastern Queensland in Australia.
