Desmos goezeanus

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Desmos goezeanus
Desmos goezeanus ALA1.jpg
Flower
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Annonaceae
Genus: Desmos
Species:
D. goezeanus
Binomial name
Desmos goezeanus
Desmos goezeanus distribution map.png
Synonyms [3]

Homotypic

  • Uva goezeana(F.Muell.) Kuntze
  • Uvaria goezeanaF.Muell.

Heterotypic

  • Unona queenslandica Domin

Desmos goezeanus is a species of rainforest plant in the family Annonaceae found almost entirely within the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia. It is a treetop vine and was first described in 1871. It has the conservation status of 'least concern'.

Contents

Description

Desmos goezeanus is a tendril climber with a stem diameter of up to 5 cm (2.0 in), capable of reaching the top of the canopy. The leaves are glossy green above and chalky blue-green (glaucous) below, and they measure up to 16 cm (6.3 in) long and 5 cm (2.0 in) wide. They are attached to the twigs on a petiole (leaf stalk) about 5 mm (0.20 in) long, and have about 20 lateral veins either side of the midrib. [4] [5]

The flowers are about 3.5 cm (1.4 in) diameter and have six petals in two whorls of three, the outer petals slightly larger than the inner ones. The petals are yellow and tinged with red at the base. There are up to 40 free (i.e. not fused together) carpels per flower, each with about six ovules. The fruit is a cluster of thin segmented structures, each the product of one carpel and measuring about 8 cm (3.1 in) long. These structures have between three and eight bead-like segments, each of which contains a single seed. When ripe, the fruit change from yellow to red. [4] [5] [6]

Phenology

This species flowers in the Australian spring, from September to November. The fruit are available between April and June. The seeds take about 110 days to germinate. [6] [4]

Distribution and habitat

It grows in well developed rainforest on a variety of soils, at altitudes from sea level up to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft). It is mostly confined to the northeast coast of Queensland from about Cape Tribulation south towards Cardwell, although there are two very disjunct records of collections – one in northern Cape York Peninsula more than 500 km (310 mi) from the nearest collection, and another even further away in the Top End region of the Northern Territory. [4] [7]

Taxonomy

This plant was first described in 1871 as Uvaria goezeana by Ferdinand von Mueller. It remained unchanged until it was moved to the genus Desmos by Laurence W. Jessup in 1986. [8]

Conservation

Desmos goezeanus is listed as least concern under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation Act. [1] As of 10 January 2025, it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Ecology

This species is a host plant for the larvae of the fourbar swordtail and the pale green triangle butterflies. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Species profile—Desmos goezeanus". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "Desmos goezeanus". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Desmos goezeanus (F.Muell.) Jessup". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Desmos goezeanus". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  5. 1 2 Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 21. ISBN   978-0-9581742-1-3.
  6. 1 2 Jessup, L.W.; Kodela, P.G. (2022). Kodela, P.G. (ed.). "Desmos goezeanus". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Search: species: Desmos goezeanus | Occurrence records". Australasian Virtual Herbarium . Australian Government . Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  8. ↑ Jessup, L.w. (1986). "New combinations in Australian Annonaceae". Austrobaileya. 2 (3): 227.
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