Native holly | |
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Mount Archer National Park, Australia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
Genus: | Alchornea |
Species: | A. ilicifolia |
Binomial name | |
Alchornea ilicifolia | |
Synonyms [3] | |
Homotypic Heterotypic |
Alchornea ilicifolia, commonly known as the native holly, is a bush of eastern Australia. It grows in or on the edges of the drier rainforests in coastal parts of New South Wales and Queensland.
The native holly is a shrub or rarely a small tree up to 6 m (20 ft) tall and with a trunk that is usually crooked, with pale grey smooth bark, with some pustules and lenticels. Small branches greenish or fawn in colour, with paler lenticels. [4] [5] The leaves are holly-like in appearance, 2 to 8 cm (0.79 to 3.15 in) long and 2 to 5 cm (0.79 to 1.97 in) wide. [4] [5] [6] They are ovate or rhomboidal in shape with three or four acute lobes on each side, each of which is armed with a sharp spine. [4] [5] [6] They are stiff and glabrous with a petiole around 3 mm (0.12 in) long. [4] [5] [6]
Greenish flowers appear in November, on racemes up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long, with male and female flowers on separate plants. [4] [5] [6] The fruit is a dark brown, three-lobed capsule about 6 to 8 mm (0.24 to 0.31 in) in diameter, each lobe containing one seed. [4] [5] [6] The plant may flower and fruit at any time of year after rain events. [5]
The botanist John Smith originally described this species as Caelebogyne ilicifolia in 1839, from three specimens collected by Allan Cunningham in 1829. [7] The Swiss botanist Johann Müller gave it its current name in 1865. [2] The generic name Alchornea honours the English botanist Stanesby Alchorne, [8] while the species epithet ilicifolia refers to the holly-like leaves (Ilex).
This species grows in vine thickets and monsoon forest on a variety of soil types, from Jamberoo on the south coast of New South Wales to Atherton in far north Queensland. [4] [5] [6]
Alchornea ilicifolia is a host plant for the larvae of the common albatross butterfly and the moth Dichomeris mesoctenis . [9] [10]
Athertonia is a monotypic genus of plants in the family Proteaceae. The sole described species is Athertonia diversifolia, commonly known as Atherton oak, athertonia, creamy silky oak or white oak. It is endemic to a small part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. A relative of the macadamia, it has potential in horticulture and the bushfood industry.
Pleiogynium timoriense, commonly known as the Burdekin plum, sweet plum, tulip plum, or in the Djabugay language guybalum, is a medium-sized fruit-bearing tree in the cashew and mango family Anacardiaceae native to Malesia, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
Elaeocarpus grandis, commonly known as the blue quandong, silver quandong or blue fig, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae which was first described in 1860. It is a large buttressed tree native to the coastal rainforests of northeastern Australia. The validity of this taxon is disputed, with some authorities accepting it and others presenting it as Elaeocarpus angustifolius.
Semecarpus australiensis, commonly known as the tar tree, native cashew, marking nut, or cedar plum, is a species of tree in the cashew, sumac and mango family Anacardiaceae, native to parts of Melanesia and northern Australia. Contact with the plant can cause serious allergic reactions, a common characteristic of this family.
Cuttsia viburnea is a shrub or bushy tree which has toothed leaves and panicles of white flowers, and that is endemic to eastern Australia. It is sometimes called silver-leaved cuttsia, and confusingly also native elderberry, honey bush or native hydrangea. C. viburnea is the only species assigned to the genus Cuttsia.
Claoxylon australe, known as brittlewood is a common rainforest shrub or understorey tree. The habitat is all types of eastern Australian rainforests. The natural range of distribution is from Eden in south eastern New South Wales to Bowen in tropical Queensland.
Xanthostemon chrysanthus, commonly known as golden penda, is a species of tree in the myrtle family Myrtaceae which is endemic to north eastern Queensland, Australia. It is a popular garden plant with showy yellow blooms, and is the floral emblem of the city of Cairns.
Atractocarpus fitzalanii, commonly known as the brown gardenia or yellow mangosteen, is a species of plant in the coffee and madder family Rubiaceae. It is found in coastal parts of tropical Queensland, Australia. The beautifully scented flowers and glossy foliage has seen this plant enter cultivation in gardens of eastern Australia.
Atractocarpus benthamianus is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae growing in eastern Australia. It is an understorey species of subtropical and tropical rainforest on fertile soils. The natural range of distribution is from Forster, New South Wales to central Queensland. This plant features beautifully scented flowers.
Endiandra muelleri is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. Its habitat is in warm temperate rainforests on poorer soils. Distributed from the Allyn River in the Barrington Tops region in the south to Kroombit Tops to the north in central Queensland.
Litsea bindoniana, known as the big-leaved bollywood is a rainforest tree in the laurel family. A small to medium-sized bushy tree endemic to the rainforests of tropical Queensland, Australia. It features large leaves with attractive yellow venation, 25 cm (10 in) long by 10 cm (4 in) wide. They are dark green above, and paler and somewhat hairy below. The leaf stalks are hairy. The small greenish flowers are fragrant and occur from March to May. They are followed by fruits which mature from September to October, being a black drupe. Regeneration is from fresh seed, after removing the fleshy aril around the seed.
Grevillea ilicifolia, commonly known as holly grevillea or holly bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to southern continental Australia. It is a spreading to prostrate shrub with holly-like leaves with sharply-pointed triangular to egg-shaped teeth or lobes, and clusters of green to cream-coloured and mauve flowers with a pink to red style.
Blepharocarya involucrigera is a tree in the sumac family Anacardiaceae. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia. Common names include north Queensland bollygum, northern bollygum and rose butternut.
Goniocheton arborescens, commonly known in Australia as Mossman mahogany, is a small tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is native to rainforests of Malesia, Papuasia, Queensland and nearby islands.
Epicharis parasitica, commonly known as yellow mahogany, is a species of rainforest tree in the family Meliaceae native to Taiwan, parts of Malesia, Papuasia, and northeast Queensland.
Mucuna gigantea, commonly known as burny bean, burney bean, velvet bean or sea bean is a species of liana from the legume family Fabaceae. Its natural range roughly follows the perimeter of the Indian Ocean and includes Africa, India, Malesia, New Guinea and northern Australia. Many parts of the plant - in particular the new growth, flowers and fruit - are covered in fine irritant hairs.
Gardenia actinocarpa is a rare and endangered plant in the madder family Rubiaceae that grows in a very restricted area within the Wet Tropics rainforest of north-east Queensland.
Fagraea cambagei, commonly known as porcelain fruit, pink jitta, or yellowheart, is a plant in the family Gentianaceae which is endemic to rainforested parts of coastal northeast Queensland, Australia.
Rubus queenslandicus, commonly known as bramble-of-the-cape, rose-leaf bramble, or native raspberry, is a plant in the rose family Rosaceae which is endemic to a small part of northeastern Queensland, Australia, where it is found on the margins of highland forest. Prior to 1997, collections of this plant were identified as either R. rosifolius, R. fraxinifolius or R. muelleri/R. probus.
Sterculia shillinglawii, commonly known as tulip sterculia or lacewood, is a tree in the family Malvaceae which is native to Papuasia and northeastern Australia.