About Gossia acmenoides (F.Muell.) N.Snow & Guymer
Gossia acmenoides, commonly known as scrub ironwood, most commonly grows as a small tree or shrub that typically reaches around 8 metres (25 ft) in height. Its trunk is often multi-stemmed and crooked, and is mostly not cylindrical. The largest known individuals reach around 20 metres (60 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of 30 cm (12 in). The bark of the trunk is fawn-coloured, smooth and pale, with occasional darker chocolate-coloured patches. The outer bark bears thin, paper-like fragments, while the branchlets are smooth and brown. Leaves grow opposite one another on the stem; they are simple, with no tooth-like serrations along the edges, and measure 2.5 to 7.5 cm (1–3 in) long and 1 to 3.5 cm (0.4-1.4 in) wide. This species has few oil dots, but the dots that are present are large, scattered irregularly, and visible to the naked eye or with a hand lens. The midrib is raised on both the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf, and a distinct intramarginal vein is visible running around the edge of the leaf. Small white flowers bloom from November to April. The fruit is a small black berry containing three to five seeds, and it matures between February and April. It is not easy to achieve successful regeneration of this species from either seeds or cuttings.
