Atalaya multiflora

Last updated

Atalaya multiflora
Atalaya multiflora blue sky.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Atalaya
Species:
A. multiflora
Binomial name
Atalaya multiflora

Atalaya multiflora, known as the broad leaved whitewood, is a rare and endangered rainforest tree of the soapberry family native to eastern Australia. [1]

Contents

The habitat is in the drier rainforest areas, often on rocky slopes of basalt. However, it also is seen on sub-tropical lowland rainforest growing on alluvial soils. It was described by prolific botanist George Bentham in his Flora Australiensis in 1863, [2] and was given the specific name multiflora because of the numerous flowers.

Description

A small tree up to 25 metres (80 ft) tall with a stem diameter of 40 cm (16 in). The base of the tree isn't quite cylindrical, but somewhat flanged and crooked. The bark is relatively smooth, coloured greyish brown. Small branches are thick, marked with lenticels and showing obvious leaf scars. [3]

Leaves

The compound leaves are arranged alternately on the stem and pinnate in shape, 7 to 24 cm (3–10 in) long with a stem 15 to 40 mm long. The leaflets are 4 to 12 cm (1.6–5 in) long, 1.5 to 4 cm (0.6-1.6 in) wide with a stem 2 to 5 mm long. There are usually two to three leaflets per compound leaf, oblong or ovate in shape, without leaf serrations. Relatively thick and notched at the tip of the leaf. There are around 12 pairs of straight lateral leaf veins per leaflet, more easily seen on the underside. [1]

Flowers, fruit & regeneration

From December to January, panicles form at the end of branchlets with abundant tiny creamy flowers. The flowers have five petals and sepals, and with eight stamens. Near the flowers are many small bracts. [3]

The paired winged fruit (a fawn coloured samarae) forms from March to May. Each with a wing around 3 cm long opposite the round seed at the other end. Seeds last only a very short while on the ground, as they are soon attacked by insects. Fresh seeds should be soaked to kill insect larvae, then planted as soon as possible. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Polyscias sambucifolia</i> Species of tree

Polyscias sambucifolia, commonly known as elderberry panax or small basswood, is a species of plant native to eastern Australia.

<i>Arytera divaricata</i> Species of tree

Arytera divaricata, known as the gap axe, coogara, coogera or rose tamarind is a forest tree of eastern Australia. An attractive plant with glossy pale and limp new leaves. It grows in fairly dry situations, often in littoral rainforests and monsoon forest.

<i>Maytenus silvestris</i> Species of tree

Maytenus silvestris is a shrub or small tree growing from Picton, New South Wales near Kroombit Tops, near Gladstone, Queensland. It occurs in dry rainforest, eucalyptus and rainforest ecotone areas. Common names include narrow leaved orangebark, orange bush and orange bark.

<i>Elattostachys nervosa</i> Species of tree

Elattostachys nervosa, known as the green tamarind or beetroot tree is a common rainforest tree of eastern Australia. Found in all types of rainforest, growing from Paterson, New South Wales in the south to Gympie in south east Queensland. The name Elattostachys refers to "little spikes", a flower feature of other plants in this genus. Nervosa refers to the prominent leaf venation. Beetroot Tree refers to the beetroot red leaves of the new growth.

<i>Drypetes deplanchei</i> Species of tree

Drypetes deplanchei is a tree of eastern and northern Australia. It also occurs in New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island. The genus is derived from the Greek, dryppa meaning "olive fruit". The species named after Dr. Emile Deplanche, who collected this plant at New Caledonia. Common names include yellow tulip, grey boxwood, white myrtle, grey bark and yellow tulipwood.

<i>Capparis arborea</i> Species of tree

Capparis arborea is a bush or small tree occurring in eastern Australia. The habitat is rainforest; usually riverine, littoral or the drier rainforests. Distributed from the Hunter River, New South Wales to Cape Melville in tropical Queensland. Common names include native pomegranate, wild lime, wild lemon and brush caper berry.

<i>Sarcopteryx stipata</i> Species of tree

Sarcopteryx stipata, known as the steelwood, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia occurring from the Bulga Plateau and Comboyne Plateau north west of Taree, New South Wales as far north as Fraser Island off the coast of south eastern Queensland. It grows in sub tropical rainforest but sometimes occurs in warm temperate rainforests on poorer soils. It is a member of the soap berry family. The generic name Sarcopteryx translates to "fleshy wing", as the fruit can be wing shaped. Stipata means "surrounded". The common name steelwood refers to the very tough, hard and heavy timber.

<i>Mischocarpus pyriformis</i> Species of tree

Mischocarpus pyriformis, known as the pear fruited tamarind is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. Occurring from Seal Rocks, New South Wales to as far north as Cooktown in tropical Queensland. The sub species found in New South Wales is Mischocarpus pyriformis subsp. pyriformis.

<i>Cupaniopsis baileyana</i> Species of tree

Cupaniopsis baileyana is a species of flowering tree in the soapberry family. It is native to eastern Australia. Common names include White Tamarind and Toothed Tuckeroo. The species name honours the botanist F.M.Bailey.

<i>Pomaderris aspera</i> Species of tree

Pomaderris aspera is a plant from eastern and southern Australia. Mostly seen south of the Barrington Tops in New South Wales to as far south as Wilsons Promontory and Cape Otway on the mainland. Also occurring in Tasmania. Scattered individuals are found in northern New South Wales to as far north as Bunya Mountains National Park in Queensland.

<i>Baloghia marmorata</i> Species of tree

Baloghia marmorata is a rare rainforest plant of eastern Australia. It is commonly known as the marbled baloghia.

<i>Owenia cepiodora</i> Species of tree

Owenia cepiodora is a medium to large Australian tree in the family Meliaceae. It occurs in the rainforests of north eastern New South Wales and adjacent areas in Queensland. The habitat is mostly the drier Hoop Pine rainforests along the state border. Only small regrowth trees remain, as it was heavily logged in earlier times. Its status is now considered vulnerable with a ROTAP rating of 2VCi.

<i>Arytera distylis</i> Species of tree

Arytera distylis, known as the two-leaved coogera or twin-leaved coogera is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It grows by streams or in sea side rainforests. It occurs from the Orara River in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, extending up to Maryborough in south east Queensland.

<i>Dysoxylum rufum</i> Species of tree

Dysoxylum rufum is a rainforest tree in the family Meliaceae, found in eastern Australia. It occurs on a variety of different soils and rainforest types. From as far south as Bulahdelah, New South Wales to the McIlwraith Range in far north eastern Australia. The specific epithet rufum refers to the rusty red of the leaf, fruit and flower hairs of this species.

<i>Cupaniopsis newmanii</i> Species of tree

Cupaniopsis newmanii is a rainforest plant in the soapberry family. It is native to eastern Australia. The common name is long-leaved tuckeroo. A rare plant, with a ROTAP listing of 2RC-. The habitat sub tropical rainforest ranging from Mullumbimby in New South Wales to Gympie in south-eastern Queensland.

<i>Petalostigma triloculare</i> Species of tree

Petalostigma triloculare, known as the long-leaved bitter bark is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs in the drier rainforests, often on sandy soil derived from granite or sandstone, and is sometimes seen on old sand dunes.

<i>Planchonella queenslandica</i> Species of tree

Planchonella queenslandica, the blush condoo, is a large rainforest tree of the family Sapotaceae native to eastern Australia. It's found in sea side rainforest as well as the drier inland rainforests. From as far south as the Richmond River, New South Wales to Coen in tropical Queensland, and as far west as Melville Island, Northern Territory.

<i>Triflorensia cameronii</i> Species of tree

Triflorensia cameronii is a very rare rainforest plant of the coffee family, growing in a few areas of eastern Australia. Found in Lismore, New South Wales as well as a few other locations in nearby Queensland. Soils are based on basalt, and the rainforest is the drier type, with hoop pine nearby.

<i>Acronychia suberosa</i> Species of tree

Acronychia suberosa , commonly known as corky acronychia, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has mostly trifoliate leaves with ellitic to egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, small groups of cream-coloured flowers and elliptical to spherical, creamy yellow to whitish fruit.

<i>Elattostachys xylocarpa</i> Species of tree

Elattostachys xylocarpa, known as the white tamarind or short-leaf beetroot is a common rainforest tree of eastern Australia. Found in the drier rainforests, which are based on volcanic soils. From as far south as the Orara River in northern New South Wales to Bowen in tropical Queensland. The name Elattostachys refers to "little spikes", a flower feature of other plants in this genus. xylocarpa refers to the hard woody fruit.

References

  1. 1 2 "Atalaya multiflora". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  2. "Atalaya multiflora Benth". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  3. 1 2 3 Floyd, A. G. (2008). Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia (2nd, Revised ed.). Lismore, New South Wales: Terania Rainforest Publishing. p. 383. ISBN   978-0-958943-67-3 . Retrieved 2010-07-08.