Halfordia

Last updated

Kerosenewood
Halfordia kendack.jpg
In Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Halfordia kendack 47107571084 570b501a57 o.jpg
Fruit at Cooloola, Queensland
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Subfamily: Zanthoxyloideae
Genus: Halfordia
F.Muell. [1]
Species:
H. kendack
Binomial name
Halfordia kendack
Synonyms [2]
  • Eriostemon kendackMontrouz.
  • Eriostemon leichhardtiiF.Muell.
  • Halfordia drupiferaF.Muell. nom. illeg.
  • Halfordia leichardtiiGuillaumin orth. var.
  • Halfordia leichhardtii(F.Muell.) Baill. ex Guillaumin
  • Halfordia scleroxylaF.Muell.

Halfordia is a genus of plants in the family Rutaceae containing the single species Halfordia kendack commonly known as kerosenewood, southern ghittoe or saffronheart, [3] is a rainforest plant that is native to eastern Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia. It is a shrub or tree with elliptical to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, panicles of white, greenish white or yellowish flowers and purple to bluish black, spherical to oval fruit.

Contents

Description

Halfordia kendack is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 25–30 m (82–98 ft), the trunk with a diameter of 75 cm (30 in) and often flanged at the base. It has grey or pale yellowish-brown bark with corky pustules and is often rough and wrinkled. The smaller branches are smooth, green and about 13 mm (0.51 in) thick. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, elliptical to egg-shaped or lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 50–180 mm (2.0–7.1 in) long and 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in) wide and more or less sessile or on a petiole up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long. The leaf tapers to the base and has a rounded or tapered tip and new leaves have a noticeable aromatic scent resembling eau de cologne. There are many conspicuous, closely spaced oil dots. [3] [4] [5] [6]

The flowers are arranged in panicles 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) long, each flower about 11 mm (0.43 in) in diameter on a pedicel 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long. The sepals are 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) long and the petals white, greenish white or yellowish and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long with short, soft hairs pressed against the back. Flowering occurs from January to May and the fruit is a purple to bluish black, spherical to oval drupe 8–12 mm (0.31–0.47 in) long that is present in most months. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomy

The genus Halfordia was first formally described in 1865 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae [7] [8] and the first species he described was Halfordia drupifera, now considered a nomen illegitimum. [2]

In 1860, Xavier Montrouzier described Eriostemon kendack in Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts de Lyon, [9] [10] and in 1911, André Guillaumin changed the name to Halfordia kendack in Notulae Systematicae. [11] [12]

Halfordia is named after George Britton Halford and "kendack" is an indigenous name for this tree in New Caledonia. [13]

Distribution and habitat

Kerosenewood grows in monsoon woodland and rainforest in coastal and inland areas from sea level to an altitude of 1,260 m (4,130 ft). It is found in New Caledonia, New Guinea and eastern Australia. [14] [15] In Australia it occurs from the Torres Strait Islands to the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, south to Iluka in New South Wales, including on the Mcpherson and Tweed Ranges. [5] [6]

Ecology

The hard seed is surrounded by pulp, which is eaten by a variety of birds, such as the green catbird, topknot pigeon and wompoo fruit dove. Germination from seeds can be difficult, often erratic. [4]

Uses

Before the development of fibreglass and carbon fibre, the timber of this species was used in the manufacture of fishing rods. The oily, flexible timber is hard, weighing 1100 kg per cubic metre. This plant is gaining popularity in horticulture. [3] The wood is highly flammable, and chips of wood may be used to start a fire, even when wet, hence one of the common names, "kerosene wood".

Related Research Articles

<i>Acronychia acidula</i> Species of tree

Acronychia acidula, commonly known as lemon aspen or lemon wood, is a species of small to medium-sized rainforest tree that is endemic to Queensland. It has simple, elliptical leaves, small groups of flowers in leaf axils and more or less spherical fruit. The aromatic and acidic fruit is harvested as a bushfood.

<i>Flindersia ifflana</i> Species of flowering plant

Flindersia ifflana, commonly known as hickory ash or Cairns hickory, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to Papua New Guinea and Queensland. It has pinnate leaves with between four and twelve egg-shaped to elliptical leaflets, panicles of white or cream-coloured flowers and woody fruit studded with rough points.

<i>Flindersia pimenteliana</i> Species of flowering plant

Flindersia pimenteliana, commonly known as maple silkwood, red beech or rose silkwood, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to New Guinea and Queensland. It has pinnate leaves with three to seven egg-shaped to elliptic leaflets, panicles of red or reddish flowers and fruit studded with rough points.

<i>Flindersia schottiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Flindersia schottiana, commonly known as bumpy ash, cudgerie or silver ash, is a species of rainforest tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to New Guinea and eastern Australia. It has pinnate leaves with mostly ten to sixteen leaflets, panicles of white flowers and woody fruit studded with rough points.

<i>Flindersia brayleyana</i> Species of tree

Flindersia brayleyana, commonly known as Queensland maple, maple silkwood or red beech, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to northern Queensland. It has pinnate leaves with between six and ten leaflets, panicles of white or cream-coloured flowers and smooth fruit that opens in five sections to release winged seeds.

<i>Melicope elleryana</i> Species of shrub

Melicope elleryana, commonly known as pink flowered doughwood, pink evodia, corkwood, or saruwa, is a species of rainforest shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae, and is native to New Guinea, parts of eastern Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and northern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and pink to white, bisexual flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope micrococca</i> Species of tree

Melicope micrococca, commonly known as hairy-leaved doughwood or white euodia, is a species of shrub or slender tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and white flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Syzygium hemilamprum</i> Species of tree

Syzygium hemilamprum, commonly known as the broad-leaved lilly pilly, blush satinash, cassowary gum, Eungella gum, and treated as Acmena hemilampra in New South Wales and Queensland, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is native to New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. It is a rainforest tree with broadly lance-shaped to elliptic leaves, panicles of white flowers and more or less spherical white fruit.

<i>Pentaceras</i> Genus of trees

Pentaceras australe, commonly known as bastard crow's ash, penta ash or black teak, is the only species in the genus Pentaceras in the plant family Rutaceae. It is a small to medium-sized rainforest tree endemic to eastern Australia. It has pinnate leaves with up to fifteen leaflets, small white flowers arranged in panicles on the ends of branchlets, and winged seeds.

<i>Acronychia wilcoxiana</i> Species of tree

Acronychia wilcoxiana, commonly known as silver aspen, doughwood, snowwood or mushyberry, is a species of small rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, relatively large groups of whitish flowers in leaf axils and broadly oval to more or less spherical, white fruit.

<i>Vesselowskya rubifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Vesselowskya rubifolia, commonly known as southern marara, red ash, mountain marara or Dorrigo southern marara, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cunoniaceae plant and has a restricted distribution in eastern New South Wales. It is a shrub or small tree with compound leaves with three or five leaflets with serrated edges, and small whitish flowers arranged along a raceme.

<i>Melicope polybotrya</i> Species of shrub

Melicope polybotrya is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It has trifoliate leaves and green flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Acronychia acronychioides</i> Species of flowering plant

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 imperforata</i> Species of flowering plant

Acronychia imperforata, commonly known as Logan apple, Fraser Island apple, or green tree, is a species of rainforest shrub or small tree that is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It has simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves, small groups of yellowish or creamy white flowers and fleshy spherical to oval fruit.

<i>Acronychia vestita</i> Species of flowering plant

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>Bouchardatia neurococca</i> Species of flowering plant

Bouchardatia neurococca, commonly known as union nut, is a species of small rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has pinnate leaves with three or five narrow elliptical leaflets, white flowers arranged in panicles, and oval follicles.

<i>Dinosperma</i> Genus of flowering plants

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> Species of tree

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>Medicosma fareana</i> Species of tree

Medicosma fareana, commonly known as white aspen, is a species of rainforest small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to north Queensland. It has elliptical leaves and white or cream-coloured flowers borne singly or in small groups in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope xanthoxyloides</i> Species of tree

Melicope xanthoxyloides is a species of small tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to New Guinea and Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and small green to yellow or cream-coloured flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils.

References

  1. "Halfordia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "Halfordia kendack". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Halfordia kendack". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Floyd, A.G. (2008). Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia (2nd ed.). Inkata Press. p. 363. ISBN   978-0-9589436-7-3.
  5. 1 2 3 Hartley, Thomas G.; Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.) (2013). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. pp. 83–84. Retrieved 23 July 2020.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  6. 1 2 3 Richards, P.G. "Halfordia kendack". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  7. "Halfordia". APNI. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  8. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1865). Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 5. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 43. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  9. "Eriostemon kendack". APNI. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  10. Montrouzier, Xavier (1860). "Flore de L'Ile Art". Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts de Lyon. 10: 191–192. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  11. "Halfordia kendack". APNI. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  12. Guillaumin, André (1911). "Flore générale de L'Indo-Chine". Notulae Systematicae (Paris). 2: 98. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  13. "A Mystery Tree Bears Fruit". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  14. Conn, Barry; Damas, Kipiro. "Halfordia kendack (Montrouz.) Guillaumin". PNG Trees. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  15. "Halfordia kendack (Montrouz.) Guillaumin". Endemia New Caledonia. Retrieved 23 July 2020.