Heptapleurum ellipticum

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Climbing umbrella tree
Heptapleurum ellipticum 238820590.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Apiales
Family: Araliaceae
Genus: Heptapleurum
Species:
H. ellipticum
Binomial name
Heptapleurum ellipticum
Synonyms [3]
  • Paratropia elliptica(Blume) Miq.
  • Schefflera elliptica(Blume) Harms
  • Sciodaphyllum ellipticumBlume

Heptapleurum ellipticum, commonly known in Australia as the climbing umbrella tree, is a plant in the family Araliaceae native to the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, Malesia, Papuasia and Australia.

Contents

Description

The climbing umbrella tree is a vine or scandent shrub growing up to 10 m (33 ft) high and a stem diameter of up to 9 cm (3.5 in). [4] [5]

The alternately arranged leaves have a petiole measuring 4 to 14 cm (1.6 to 5.5 in) long. [4] [5] [6] They are compound with 4 to 7 leaflets arranged palmately. [5] Each leaflet measures around 6 to 18 cm (2.4 to 7.1 in) long by 2.5 to 10 cm (0.98 to 3.94 in) wide. [4] [5] [6] They are leathery and glabrous with usually 5-6 pairs of secondary veins. [6]

The inflorescence is about 24 cm (9.4 in) long, [4] [6] with flowers arranged in umbels. The globose fruit are very small, about 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) in diameter. [4] [6]

Taxonomy

This species was first described as Sciodaphyllum ellipticum in 1826 by the Dutch botanist Carl Ludwig Blume, based on material collected near Mount Salak, Indonesia. [7] In 1865 it was transferred to the genus Heptapleurum by Berthold Carl Seemann, [8] then to Schefflera by Hermann Harms in 1894, [9] where it remained for more than a century. In 2020 Porter P. Lowry II and Gregory M. Plunkett published a paper in which they resurrected the genus Heptapleurum and transferred a large number of species − including this one − to it from Schlefflera. [10]

Distribution and habitat

The natural range of the climbing umbrella tree is from India through Southeast Asia and Southern China, Melanesia, Papuasia, Christmas Island and northern Australia. [3] [4] [5] In Australia it is restricted to the northeastern parts of Queensland. [4] [11] It grows in mainly in rainforest and gallery forest from near sea level up to 2,500 m (8,200 ft). [4] [5] [6]

Uses

The plant has been used in traditional medicine as a treatment for a number of ailments, including coughs, edema, toothache and wounds. [5]

References

  1. ↑ "Species profile—Heptapleurum ellipticum". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  2. ↑ Li, R.; Qin, h.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).; IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2019). "Heptapleurum ellipticum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T144056634A147644168. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T144056634A147644168.en . Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Heptapleurum ellipticum (Blume) Seem". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Heptapleurum ellipticum". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government . Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Heptapleurum ellipticum (Blume) Seem". Flora and Fauna Web. Singapore Government . Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Schefflera elliptica (Blume) Harms in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(8): 39. 1894". Flora of China (eFloras). Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Blume, Carl Ludwig (1825). Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië. Vol. 15. Batavia. p. 878.
  8. ↑ "Heptapleurum ellipticum". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Schlefflera elliptica". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  10. ↑ Porter P. Lowry II; Gergory M. Plunkett (2020). "Resurrection of the Genus Heptapleurum for the Asian Clade of Species Previously Included in Schefflera (Araliaceae)". Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature. 28 (3): 143–170. doi:10.3417/2020612. S2CID   221860194.
  11. ↑ "Search: species: Heptapleurum ellipticum | Occurrence records". Australasian Virtual Herbarium . Australian Government . Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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