Cryptocarya rigida

Cryptocarya rigida
Leaves and fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Cryptocarya
Species:	C. rigida
Binomial name
Cryptocarya rigida Meisn. [1]
Synonyms [1]
Cryptocarya patentinervis F.Muell. ex Meisn. nom. inval., pro syn. Cryptocarya patentinervisF.Muell. nom. inval., nom. nud. Cryptocarya patentinervisF.Muell. ex Benth. nom. illeg.

Cryptocarya rigida − underside of leaves

Cryptocarya rigida, commonly known as rose maple, southern maple, rose walnut, pigeonberry ash, forest maple or brown beech, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Lauraceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves, creamy green flowers, and elliptic black drupes.

Description

Cryptocarya rigida is a shrub or small tree that typically grows to a height of 10 m (33 ft) with a dbh of about 20 cm (7.9 in) and has grey, thin corky bark, it stems not buttressed. Its leaves are lance-shaped to elliptic, 60–135 mm (2.4–5.3 in) long and 12–50 mm (0.47–1.97 in) wide, covered with soft hairs, and glaucous on the lower surface. The flowers are usually arranged in panicles in leaf axils and shorter than the leaves. They are creamy-green, not perfumed, the perianth tube 1.4–1.6 mm (0.06–0.06 in) long and 1.7–1.8 mm (0.07–0.07 in) wide. The tepals are 1.5–2.0 mm (0.059–0.079 in) long and 0.9–1.5 mm (0.035–0.059 in) wide, the outer anthers about 0.8 mm (0.03 in) long and 0.6–0.7 mm (0.02–0.03 in) wide, the inner anthers 0.8–0.9 mm (0.03–0.04 in) long and 0.5–0.6 mm (0.02–0.02 in) wide. Flowering occurs from October to March, and the fruit is an elliptic black drupe, 17–25 mm (0.7–1.0 in) long and 11–17.5 mm (0.43–0.69 in) wide with creamy cotyledons. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Taxonomy

Cryptocarya rigida was first formally described in 1864 by Carl Meissner in de Candolle's Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis from specimens collected near the Clarence River by Ferdinand von Mueller. ^{[5] [6]} The specific epithet (rigida) means 'rigid'. ^[7]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Cryptocarya grows in rainforest, especially near the edges of rainforest, at altitudes between 150–900 m (490–2,950 ft) from near Springbrook in southern Queensland to Dungog and Ourimbah in New South Wales. ^[2]

The species is extinct in the Illawarra region (34° S), allegedly seen there in 1818 by Allan Cunningham. ^[8]

Use in horticulture

Like most Australian species of Cryptocarya , removal of the fleshy aril is advised to assist seed germination, which is slow but reliable with C. rigida.

References

1. "Cryptocarya rigida". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
2. Le Cussan, J.; Hyland, Bernard P.M. "Cryptocarya rigida". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
3. Floyd, A.G. (2008). Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia. Inkata Press. p. 182. ISBN   978-0-9589436-7-3.
4. Harden, Gwen J. "Cryptocarya rigida". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
5. "Cryptocarya rigida". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
6. Meissner, Carl (1864). de Candolle, Augustin P. (ed.). Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis, sive, Enumeratio contracta ordinum generum specierumque plantarum huc usque cognitarium, juxta methodi naturalis, normas digesta. Paris: Sumptibus Sociorum Treuttel et Würtz. p. 508. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
7. Stearn, William T (1992). Botanical Latin. Portland Oregon: Timber Press. p. 484.
8. Bofeldt, Anders (2011). "Table 1: Cryptocarya rigida" (PDF). Plants at Risk in the Illawarra: Introduction to Table 1 (PDF) (Technical report). Online via LandcareIllawarra.org.au. NSW. Retrieved 25 Apr 2013.

External links

• "Cryptocarya rigida Meisn". Atlas of Living Australia.

Flora of New South Wales