Native Hydrangea

Shrubs or small trees to 8 m (26 ft) high; leaves simple, mostly 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) long, 3–8 cm (1.2–3.1 in) wide, alternate, large, lanceolate, long-acuminate, subserrate; without stipules, petiole 20–40 mm (0.8–1.6 in) long. Flowers in terminal or axillary cymes, yellowish. Calyx is short (c. 2 mm (0.1 in) long.), tubular, lobes usually 5 or sometimes 6, deciduous. Petals 4–5 mm (0.2–0.2 in) long, usually 5 or sometimes 6, valvate, spreading, deciduous. Stamens usually 5 or sometimes 6, inserted on the margin of the inconspicuous nectary disk; anthers broad oblong; filaments very short. Gynoecium of 5 carpels, receptacle patelliform. Ovary superior, 5-locular, with numerous axile ovules, stigma sessile, 5-lobed. Fruit are oblong, black berries about 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide, crowned by the stigma, many-seeded; seeds small, subglobose, testa deeply latticed; embryo very small; endosperm fleshy and oily.

It is native to Australia (New South Wales and Queensland). Its habitat is warm-temperate and subtropical rainforest, especially along smaller watercourses or in gullies on poorer soils. The natural range of distribution is from the Illawarra region of New South Wales to the McIlwraith Range in far north Queensland.