Elaeocarpus kirtonii

Last updated

Silver quandong
Elaeocarpus kirtonii - Morton National Park.jpg
Elaeocarpus kirtonii growing at Morton National Park
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Elaeocarpaceae
Genus: Elaeocarpus
Species:
E. kirtonii
Binomial name
Elaeocarpus kirtonii
Synonyms [1]
Leaves Elaeocarpus kirtonii - leaves.jpg
Leaves

Elaeocarpus kirtonii, commonly known as silver quandong, white quandong, brown hearted quandong, brownheart, mountain beech, Mowbullan whitewood, pigeonberry ash, white beech or whitewood, [2] is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a large rainforest tree with buttress roots, regularly toothed, narrow elliptic to narrow oblong leaves, racemes of white flowers and pale blue, oval fruit.

Contents

Description

Elaeocarpus kirtonii is a large and often dominant tree, typically growing to a height of 30 m (98 ft) with a diameter of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in), but sometimes to 45 m (148 ft) and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) diameter. There are buttress roots to a height of 3 m (9.8 ft) and the outer bark is silvery grey and thin, with small pustules. New growth is salmon-pink, the leaves clustered near the ends of the branchlets, narrow elliptic to narrow oblong, 70–200 mm (2.8–7.9 in) long and 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) wide on a petiole 15–50 mm (0.59–1.97 in) long. The leaves are dull green with prominent veins, regularly spaced teeth on the edges and turn red before falling. The flowers are arranged along racemes mostly 60–100 mm (2.4–3.9 in) long with between fifteen and twenty sweet-scented flowers, each on a pedicel up to 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long. The five sepals are very narrow egg-shaped to triangular, 5.5–6 mm (0.22–0.24 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide. The five petals are white, 7.5–10 mm (0.30–0.39 in) long and 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) wide with about twenty-four linear lobes at the tip. There are between twenty-five and thirty stamens. Flowering occurs from January to March and the fruit is a pale blue, oval drupe 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) long, maturing from October to January and containing a hard, sculptured stone. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Elaeocarpus kirtonii was first formally described in 1886 by Frederick Manson Bailey in A Synopsis of the Queensland Flora, from an unpublished description by Ferdinand von Mueller. [5] [6] The specific epithet (kirtonii) honours W. Kirton, who collected samples of the tree at Bulli in 1885 for Ferdinand von Mueller. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Silver quandong grows from near Milton (35° S) in New South Wales to Eungella National Park (20° S) in tropical Queensland. It grows in tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperate rainforests but is often also seen in cooler and moister sites on volcanic soils and on the richer alluvial soils. [4]

Ecology

The fruit of E. kirtonii is eaten by a large variety of rainforest birds. [4]

Conservation status

This quandong is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992 . [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Elaeocarpus angustifolius</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus angustifolius is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and occurs from India to New Calendeonia and northern Australia. It is a large tree, often with buttress roots, and has leaves with wavy serrations, creamy white flowers and more or less spherical bright blue or purple fruit. Authorities differ regarding the distribution of this species.

<i>Elaeocarpus grandis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus grandis, commonly known as blue quandong, blue fig or silver quandong, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a large tree with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, oblong to elliptic leaves with small teeth on the edges, racemes of greenish-white flowers and more or less spherical blue fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus holopetalus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus holopetalus, commonly known as black olive berry, mountain blueberry, or mountain quandong, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with regularly toothed, lance-shaped to egg-shaped leaves, racemes of white flowers and black, oval fruit.

<i>Elaeocarpus obovatus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus obovatus is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It grows from near Wyong in New South Wales to Proserpine, Queensland in the tropics.

<i>Elaeocarpus eumundi</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus eumundi, commonly known as Eumundi quandong, or smooth-leaved quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a mid-sized tree with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves, racemes of cream-coloured flowers and blue fruit. It grows in rainforest from the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland to north-eastern New South Wales.

<i>Elaeocarpus bancroftii</i> tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae endemic to Queensland

Elaeocarpus bancroftii, commonly known as Kuranda quandong, Johnstone River almond, ebony heart, grey nut, or nut tree is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a tree with leathery leaves that turn red before falling, flowers with lobed petals and relatively large fruit.

<i>Acronychia acronychioides</i>

Acronychia acronychioides, commonly known as white aspen, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to north-eastern Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves on stems that are more or less cylindrical, creamy yellow flowers in large groups in leaf axils and fleshy, pear-shaped or spherical fruit.

<i>Acronychia vestita</i>

Acronychia vestita, commonly known as white aspen, lemon aspen, hairy aspen or fuzzy lemon aspen, is a species of rainforest tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has simple, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, flowers arranged in relatively large groups, mostly in leaf axils and fleshy, pear-shaped to more or less spherical fruit.

<i>Dinosperma</i>

Dinosperma is a genus of plant containing the single species Dinosperma erythrococcum, commonly known as tingletongue, clubwood or nutmeg, and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a tree usually with trifoliate leaves arranged in opposite pairs, the leaflets lance-shaped to oblong, and panicles of small white flowers, later bright orange to red, slightly fleshy follicles containing shiny, bluish black seeds.

<i>Flindersia bourjotiana</i>

Flindersia bourjotiana, commonly known as Queensland silver ash, northern silver ash, or white ash, is a species of tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has pinnate leaves arranged in opposite pairs and with between four and eight narrow egg-shaped to elliptic leaflets, greenish white flowers arranged in panicles, and fruit studded with short, rough points.

<i>Elaeocarpus culminicola</i> species of tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae

Elaeocarpus culminicola, commonly known as Michael's quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is native to parts of Malesia and Australasia. It is a tree with wavy leaves with wavy or toothed edges, racemes of white, cream-coloured or pink flowers and more or less spherical fruit.

Elaeocarpus arnhemicus, commonly known as blue plum, bony quandony or Arnhem Land quandong, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is native to northern Australia and New Guinea. It is a small tree with narrow elliptic to lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves with serrated edges, racemes of white or cream-coloured flowers and metallic blue fruit.

Elaeocarpus carolinae is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a tree with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, elliptic to oblong leaves with wavy-toothed edges, flowers with five white petals with lobed tips and spherical blue to purple fruit.

Elaeocarpus coorangooloo, commonly known as brown quandong or Coorangooloo quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a tree with elliptic leaves, white flowers with lobed petals, and spherical fruit.

Elaeocarpus elliffii, commonly known as mountain quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a tree, sometimes with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, narrow egg-shaped leaves often with large domatia, flowers with five white petals with lobed tips, and more or less spherical fruit.

Elaeocarpus ferruginiflorus is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a small to medium-sized tree, sometimes with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, flowers with five white petals, and dark bluish-grey fruit.

Elaeocarpus foveolatus, commonly known as white quandong or northern quandong, is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It is a medium-sized tree, sometimes with buttress roots at the base of the trunk, variably-shaped leaves with serrated edges, flowers with five petals often with a few short lobes or teeth on the tip, and elliptic to oval fruit.

Elaeocarpus grahamii is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a small to medium-sized tree, sometimes coppicing, with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves, flowers with five petals that have a frilled tip, and oval blue fruit.

Elaeocarpus hylobroma is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a small tree with elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with a few serrations near the tip, racemes of white flowers and dull blue, oval fruit.

Elaeocarpus johnsonii, commonly known as Kuranda quandong or Johnson's quandong, is species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It is a small to medium-sized tree, often with several main stems, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, racemes of up to seven flowers, the petals with fringed lobes, and dark blue fruit.

References

  1. 1 2 "Elaeocarpus kirtonii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Elaeocarpus kirtonii". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. ↑ Hyland, Bernard; Coode, Mark J. (1984). "Elaeocarpus in Australia and New Zealand". Kew Bulletin. 39 (3): 554–557.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Floyd, Alexander G. (1989). Rainforest trees of mainland South-eastern Australia. Melbourne: Inkata Press. p. 115. ISBN   0-909605-57-2.
  5. ↑ "Elaeocarpus kirtonii". APNI. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  6. ↑ Bailey, Frederick M. (1886). A Synopsis of the Queensland Flora. Brisbane: Queensland Government Printer. p. 8. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "Species profile—Elaeocarpus kirtonii (silver quandong)". Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.