Aceratium

Aceratium
Aceratium ferrugineum flowering; cultivated plant at Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Oxalidales
Family:	Elaeocarpaceae
Genus:	Aceratium DC. [1] [2]
Type species
Aceratium oppositifolium DC.
Species [3]
20; see text

Aceratium is a genus of about 20 species of trees and shrubs of eastern Malesia and Australasia from the family Elaeocarpaceae. ^{[1] [2] [4] [5] [6]} In Australia, they are commonly known as carabeens. ^{[5] [6]} They grow naturally in rainforests, as large shrubs to understorey trees and large trees. ^{[1] [2] [5] [6]}

They grow naturally in New Guinea, the centre of diversity, in New Britain, New Ireland, Vanuatu, Sulawesi, Moluccas, ^[1] and in Australia, where botanists have formally described five species endemic to the Wet Tropics rainforests of northeastern Queensland. ^{[2] [5] [6]}

Some species have uses for their fruits as food and, ^[1] although not yet well known, some have popularity in cultivation, for example in Brisbane.^{[ citation needed ]}

Species

20 species are accepted. ^[3]

• Aceratium archboldianum A.C.Sm. – New Guinea
• Aceratium brassii A.C.Sm. – New Guinea
• Aceratium calomala Blanco – Philippines
• Aceratium concinnum (S.Moore) C.T.White – Qld, Australia
• Aceratium dasyphyllum A.C.Sm. – Maluku (Kai Islands)
• Aceratium doggrellii C.T.White – Qld, Australia
• Aceratium ferrugineum C.T.White – Qld, Australia
• Aceratium hypoleucum Kaneh. & Hatus. – New Guinea
• Aceratium ledermannii Schltr. – New Guinea, New Britain
• Aceratium megalospermum (F.Muell.) Balgooy – Qld, Australia
• Aceratium muellerianum Schltr. – New Guinea
• Aceratium oppositifolium DC. – Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea region: Kai Islands through to the Santa Cruz group, New Britain, New Ireland, Solomon Islands
• Aceratium pachypetalum Schltr. – W New Guinea
• Aceratium parvifolium Schltr. – New Guinea
• Aceratium pittosporoides Schltr.; Syn: A. breviflorumSchltr. – New Guinea
• Aceratium sericeum A.C.Sm. – W New Guinea
• Aceratium sericoleopsis Balgooy – Qld, Australia
• Aceratium sinuatum Coode – New Guinea
• Aceratium sphaerocarpum Kaneh. & Hatus. ; Syn: A. erythrocarpumA.C.Sm. – New Guinea
• Aceratium tomentosum Coode – New Guinea

A. ferrugineum fruiting; cultivated plant at Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane, 11 Dec 2011.

References

1. Coode, Mark J. E. (1995) [originally published 1981]. "Elaeocarpaceae". In Henty, E. E. (ed.). Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guinea. (Digitised, online, freely available via www.pngplants.org). Vol. 2 (reprinted ed.). Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. pp. 39–51. ISBN   0-522-84204-6 . Retrieved 21 June 2013.
2. "Aceratium%". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), Integrated Botanical Information System (IBIS) database (listing by % wildcard matching of all taxa relevant to Australia). Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
3. "Aceratium DC". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 17 November 2025.
4. Conn, Barry J. (2013) [2008+]. "Aceratium" (Online, from pngplants.org/PNGCensus). Census of Vascular Plants of Papua New Guinea. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
5. F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Elaeocarpaceae". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 21 June 2021.
6. Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 157. ISBN   9780958174213 . Retrieved 21 June 2021.