Exocarpos aphyllus

Last updated

Leafless ballart
Exocarpos aphyllus (7232045680).jpg
Exocarpos aphyllus DSC 5602.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Santalaceae
Genus: Exocarpos
Species:
E. aphyllus
Binomial name
Exocarpos aphyllus
Exocarpos aphyllus DistMap1.jpg
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]
  • Exocarpos aphyllaR.Br. orth. var.
  • Exocarpos leptomerioides F.Muell. ex Miq.
  • Exocarpus aphyllaF.Muell. orth. var.
  • Exocarpus leptomerioidesMiq. orth. var.
  • Xylophyllos aphyllus(R.Br.) Kuntze

Exocarpos aphyllus commonly known as leafless ballart, [2] or chuk, chukk, dtulya and merrin [3] by Noongar people, is a flowering plant in the family Santalaceae. It is a much-branched perennial with small, yellow-green flowers and is endemic to Australia.

Contents

Description

Exocarpos aphyllus is a perennial small tree or shrub to 5 m (16 ft) high, much-branched, grey-greenish, terete, rigid branchlets and scale-like hairy, ovate, alternate leaves, initially covered in star-shaped hairs, becoming smooth with age and about 1 mm (0.039 in) long. Flowers are very small, borne in dense clusters or spikes of 2-10 in upper leaf axils, 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long, sessile and yellowish green. Flowering occurs mostly from June to September and fruit is an ovoid drupe, 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long, more or less ribbed, bright red and with age turning almost black. [2] [4]

Taxonomy and naming

Exocarpos aphyllus was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae . [5] [6] The specific epithet (aphyllus) means 'without leaves'. [7]

Distribution and habitat

Leafless ballart grows in a variety of habitats including woodland, rocky and clay loam in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. [8] [9]

Uses

Noongar (south-west Western Australian Indigenous Australians) boiled the stems in water to make decoctions for internal use to treat colds, and externally to treat sores. The mixture was also used to make poultices to be applied to the chest to treat "wasting diseases". [3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Exocarpos aphyllus". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 Wiecek, C. (1992) New South Wales Flora online: Exocarpos aphyllus. National Herbarium of NSW, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 Hansen, V. & Horsfall, J. (2016) "Noongar Bush Medicine Medicinal Plants of the South-West of Western Australia" pp.101-102, UWA Publishing, Crawley, WA. ISBN   9781742589060
  4. ↑ Kutsche, Frank; Lay, Brendan; Croft, Tim; Kellermann, Jurgen (2013). Plants of Outback South Australia. Adelaide: State Herbarium of South Australia. p. 89. ISBN   9781922027603.
  5. ↑ "Exocarpos aphyllus". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  6. ↑ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus floræ Novæ Hollandiæ et Insulæ Van-Diemen : exhibens characteres plantarum quas annis 1802-1805. London. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  7. ↑ George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 137. ISBN   9780958034197.
  8. ↑ "Exocarpos aphyllus". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "Exocarpos aphyllus". Florabase-the Flora of Western Australia. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 15 October 2025.

Exocarpos aphyllus occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium

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