Ceratopetalum


Ceratopetalum is a genus of nine species of shrub and tree in the family Cunoniaceae. They are found along the eastern coast of Australia and extend north to New Guinea. Two Australian species are among the best known, one being C. apetalum or coachwood, renowned as a timber tree, and C. gummiferum, the New South Wales Christmas bush.
A cladistic analysis of morphology shows that the NSW Christmas bush and coachwood are the oldest two offshoots from the lineage that gave rise to the rest of the genus. These species are found in rainforest of southeastern Australia east of the Great Dividing Range.

Species

Fossil evidence for Ceratopetalum species has been found in Eocene deposits in South Australia. Named fossil species include Ceratopetalum maslinensis and Ceratopetalum westermannii.