Ceratopetalum | |
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C. gummiferum in flower | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Oxalidales |
Family: | Cunoniaceae |
Genus: | Ceratopetalum D. Don [1] |
Species | |
See text |
Ceratopetalum is a genus of nine species of shrub and tree in the family Cunoniaceae. They are found along the eastern coast of Australia and extend north to New Guinea. Two Australian species are among the best known, one being C. apetalum or coachwood, renowned as a timber tree, and C. gummiferum, the New South Wales Christmas bush.
Both New South Wales Christmas bush (C. gummiferum) and coachwood (C. apetalum) are widespread from south-east Queensland to the south coast of New South Wales, whereas the other extant Australian species are largely confined to high-altitude montane habitats in north-east Australia. These restricted distributions have been hypothesised to be refugia from cycles of changing climate during the Pleistocene. [2]
Fossil evidence for Ceratopetalum species has been found in Eocene deposits in South Australia. [4] Named fossil species include Ceratopetalum maslinensis and Ceratopetalum westermannii.
Cunoniaceae is a family of 27 genera and about 335 species of woody plants in the order Oxalidales, mostly found in the tropical and wet temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The greatest diversity of genera are in Australia and Tasmania, New Guinea, and New Caledonia. The family is also present in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Malesia, the islands of the South Pacific, Madagascar and surrounding islands. the family is absent from mainland Asia except from Peninsular Malaysia, and almost absent from mainland Africa apart from two species from Southern Africa. Several of the genera have remarkable disjunct ranges, found on more than one continent, e.g. Cunonia, EucryphiaWeinmannia.
Grevillea longifolia, commonly known as fern-leaf spider flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to the Sydney Basin in New South Wales. It is an erect to spreading shrub with narrowly egg-shaped to almost linear leaves, and toothbrush-like groups of pinkish-fawn flowers with a pink to red style. It is fairly readily grown in gardens.
Ceratopetalum apetalum, the coachwood, scented satinwood or tarwood, is a medium-sized hardwood tree, straight-growing with smooth, fragrant, greyish bark. It is native to eastern Australia in the central and northern coastal rainforests of New South Wales and southern Queensland, where is often found on poorer quality soils in gullies and creeks and often occurs in almost pure stands. C. apetalum is one of 8 species of Ceratopetalum occurring in eastern Australia, New Guinea, New Britain and various islands in the same region.
Prostanthera lasianthos, commonly known as the Victorian Christmas bush or coranderrk , is a large shrub or small tree of the mint family, Lamiaceae, which is native to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. It grows up to 10 m (35 ft) high but is usually much less and is found in wet sclerophyll forests, often beside creeks. Its flowers, which appear in profuse sprays, are about 2 cm long and white or pale lilac, with purple and orange blotches in the throat. They appear in late spring and summer, and specifically around Christmas time in Victoria. The fragrant, toothed leaves are 4 to 12 cm long and about 1.5 cm wide.
Grevillea mucronulata, also known as green spider flower or green grevillea, is a species of flowering plant of the family Proteaceae and is endemic to New South Wales in Australia. Described by Robert Brown in 1810, it is found in open sclerophyll forest or woodland around the Sydney region and New South Wales south coast. It grows as a small bush to 3 m (9.8 ft) high and wide, with variable foliage and greenish flowers that appear over the cooler months from May to October. The flowers are attractive to birds.
Ceratopetalum succirubrum is a species of plant in the family Cunoniaceae. It is found in Australia, West Papua (Indonesia), and Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss. First collected by botanists at Gadgarra on the Atherton Tableland.
Geissois is a genus of trees and shrubs in the plant family Cunoniaceae. It includes about 19 species mostly found in New Caledonia, but also in Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. Leaves are opposite, palmate with 3-9 leaflets, with entire margin and intrapetiolar stipules. The inflorescences are simple racemes and bottle-brush like. The flowers have four red sepals, lacking petals, with many long red stamens. The fruit is a capsule, the seeds flat and winged. The genus includes several nickel hyperaccumulator and one aluminum hyperaccumulator, Geissois polyphylla.
Spiraeanthemum is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Cunoniaceae. it includes about 19 species from Australia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa. Leaves are simple, opposite or whorled, with toothed or entire margins. Inflorescences are paniculate, flowers unisexual or hermaphrodite, and the fruits are follicular with free carpels. It belongs to the tribe Spiraeanthemeae, and now includes the species formerly placed in Acsmithia.
Ceratopetalum gummiferum, the New South Wales Christmas bush, is a tall shrub or small tree popular in cultivation due to its sepals that turn bright red-pink at around Christmas time. The petals are actually small and white - it is the sepals that enlarge to about 12mm after the flower sets fruit and starts to dry out.
Christmas bush may refer to:
Doryphora sassafras, commonly known as sassafras, yellow-, canary- or golden sassafras, or golden deal, is a species of evergreen tree of the family Atherospermataceae native to the subtropical and temperate rainforests of eastern New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. It is a tall tree with green foliage and contrasting white flowers which occur in Autumn and Winter.
Karrabina benthamiana is a species of rainforest trees, growing naturally in north–eastern New South Wales and south–eastern Queensland, Australia. They have common names including red carabeen, leather jacket, brush mahogany, red bean, pink marara and brush mararie. This species used to be placed in the genus Geissois as Geissois benthamiana.
Christmas plants are flowers or vegetation from garden plants associated with the festive season of Christmas. There are also a wide variety of plants that include "Christmas" in their common name.
Alloxylon pinnatum, known as Dorrigo waratah, is a tree of the family Proteaceae found in warm-temperate rainforest of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales in eastern Australia. It has shiny green leaves that are either pinnate (lobed) and up to 30 cm (12 in) long, or lanceolate (spear-shaped) and up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The prominent pinkish-red flower heads, known as inflorescences, appear in spring and summer; these are made up of 50 to 140 individual flowers arranged in corymb or raceme. These are followed by rectangular woody seed pods, which bear two rows of winged seeds.
Pseudoweinmannia is an endemic Australian genus with two species of trees of the family Cunoniaceae. Both species lack petals.
Lomatia myricoides, commonly known as the river lomatia, is a shrub native to New South Wales and Victoria in southeastern Australia.
Codia is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Cunoniaceae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia in the Pacific and contains 15 species. The leaves are opposite or whorled, simple, and the margin usually entire. The flowers are arranged in capitula. the ovary is inferior. The fruit is indehiscent and is covered with woolly hairs.
Gillbeea is a genus of three species of Australasian rainforest trees from the family Cunoniaceae.
Lamanonia is a genus of trees in the family Cunoniaceae. It is endemic to South America.
Eucryphia falcata is an extinct species of flowering plant. It belongs to the genus Eucryphia within the family Cunoniaceae.