| Bandicoot berry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Foliage and fruit, Cairns, Queensland | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Vitales |
| Family: | Vitaceae |
| Genus: | Leea |
| Species: | L. nova-guineensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Leea nova-guineensis | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
Leea gracilis Lauterb. | |
Leea nova-guineensis, commonly known as bandicoot berry, is a plant in the family Vitaceae native to parts of Malesia and Oceania.
The bandicoot berry is an evergreen shrub which usually grows to about 4 m (13 ft) high, but can occasionally be taller. [4] [5] It is a multistemmed plant with large tripinnate leaves measuring up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long, while the individual leaflets measure up to 21 cm (8.3 in) long by 9 cm (3.5 in) wide. [4] [5] The stipules are quite large and may be up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long. [4] Flowers are produced in either terminal or leaf-opposed panicles. [5] They are quite small, around 3 mm (0.12 in) long, with five green or cream petals. [4] [5] The fruit is a red, purple or black berry up to 15 mm (0.59 in) diameter. [4] [5]
This plant was originally considered to be part of a very widespread population of Leea indica, however in 1907 the Dutch botanist Theodoric Valeton published a paper in which the plants of Malesia, Australia and the southwest Pacific were renamed as Leea nova-guineensis. [6] Much later, in 2012, a paper was published in which this species was given the new combination Leea novoguineensis, [7] which is recognised by Australian authorities, [1] [2] [4] [8] but not by Plants of the World Online. [3]
Leea nova-guineensis grows as an understory plant in rainforest, at elevations from sea level to 400 m (1,300 ft). [4] [5] It is native to the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, the Bismark Archipelago, the Santa Cruz Islands, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the states of the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. [3] [4]
The fruit are reported as being eaten by Wompoo fruit doves. [5]
This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as least concern. [1] As of 9 July 2023 [update] , it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Pleiogynium timoriense, commonly known as the Burdekin plum, sweet plum, tulip plum, or in the Djabugay language guybalum, is a medium-sized fruit-bearing tree in the cashew and mango family Anacardiaceae native to Malesia, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
Leea is a genus of plants in the family Vitaceae, subfamily Leeoideae, that are native to parts of central Africa, tropical Asia, Australia and Melanesia. It was previously placed in its own family, Leeaceae, based on morphological differences between it and other Vitaceae genera. These differences include ovule number per locule, carpel number, and the absence or presence of a staminoidal tube and floral disc. Pollen structure has also been examined for taxonomic demarcation, though studies have concluded that the pollen of Leeaceae and Vitaceae suggests the families should remain separate while other studies conclude that Leea should be included in Vitaceae.
Alpinia caerulea, commonly known as native ginger or Australian ginger, is an understorey perennial herb in the family Zingiberaceae which grows in rainforest, gallery forest and wet sclerophyll forest in eastern Australia.
Atractocarpus fitzalanii, commonly known as the brown gardenia or yellow mangosteen, is a species of plant in the coffee and madder family Rubiaceae. It is found in coastal parts of tropical Queensland, Australia. The beautifully scented flowers and glossy foliage has seen this plant enter cultivation in gardens of eastern Australia.
Dysoxylum mollissimum subsp. molle, the red bean or Miva mahogany, is a rainforest tree in the family Meliaceae. It occurs in tropical, sub-tropical and littoral rainforests in eastern Australia, as far southwards as north-eastern New South Wales. Also occurs in Malesia and the south-western Pacific Islands. In Australia it is distributed from the Bellinger River in New South Wales in the south, to the wet tropics of north-eastern Queensland. The specific epithet mollissimum is from the Latin, meaning "very soft", describing the soft hairy leaflets. A signposted red bean tree may be seen near the car park of Victoria Park Nature Reserve in north-eastern New South Wales.
Planchonella eerwah is a rare species of Australian rainforest tree in the family Sapotaceae. Common names include shiny-leaved condoo, black plum and wild apple. It is endemic to south eastern Queensland, with a restricted distribution and regarded as endangered.
Dysoxylum pettigrewianum, commonly known as spur mahogany, spurwood, or Cairns satinwood, is a large tree in the family Meliaceae. It is native to the rainforests of Malesia, Papuasia and Queensland. In Queensland it occurs only in a small part of the northeast coast.
Micromelum minutum, commonly known as limeberry, dilminyin. kimiar margibur, tulibas tilos (Philippines), sesi (Indonesia) and samui (Thailand), is a species of small tree or shrub in the citrus plant family Rutaceae. It occurs from India and Indochina to Australia. It has pinnate leaves with egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaflets, hairy, pale green or creamish, scented flowers arranged in large groups and yellow to orange or red, oval to spherical berries in dense clusters.
Leea indica is a large shrub in the family Vitaceae which may grow up to 5 m (16 ft) tall. It is common in undergrowth of secondary and disturbed evergreen forests in Indomalaya, Indochina, and throughout in the Western Ghats of India. Plants growing in Malesia, New Guinea, Australia and southwestern Pacific islands were previously identified as this species but are now considered to be the separate species Leea nova-guineensis.
Dillenia alata, commonly known as red beech, golden guinea flower or golden guinea tree, is a tree in the Dilleniaceae family, found in tropical forests of the Moluccas, New Guinea, and northern Australia.
Donella lanceolata is a plant species in the family Sapotaceae. It is a tree growing up to 30 metres (100 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of up to 40 cm (16 in). The bark is grey to dark brown. Inflorescences bear up to 45 flowers. The fruit are brownish to purplish black, ripening yellow, round, up to 4 cm (2 in) in diameter. Its habitat is lowland forests from sea level to 700 metres (2,300 ft) altitude. Its natural range is Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Queensland.
Dysoxylum parasiticum, commonly known as yellow mahogany, is a species of rainforest tree in the family Meliaceae native to Taiwan, parts of Malesia, Papuasia, and northeast Queensland.
Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum, commonly known as ivory mahogany, is a species of rainforest tree in the family Meliaceae, native to Malesia, Queensland, and some southwest Pacific islands.
Harpullia ramiflora, commonly known as the Claudie tulipwood or Cape York tulipwood, is a tree in the Sapindaceae family native to north east Queensland, New Guinea and parts of Malesia.
Pittosporum ferrugineum, commonly known as the rusty pittosporum or rusty-leaved pittosporum, is an evergreen plant in the family Pittosporaceae native to Malesia, Papuasia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
Lasianthus chlorocarpus, commonly known as blue rubi, is a plant in the family Rubiaceae native to parts of Malesia, Papuasia and Australia. It is an evergreen shrub growing up to 2 m high in well developed rainforest.
Leea rubra, commonly known as red leea, is a plant in the family Vitaceae native to Bangladesh, Assam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Borneo, the Philippines, New Guinea, the Northern Territory and Queensland. It is a small shrub growing up to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall with 2-, 3- or 4-pinnate leaves. The flower buds and stems are bright red, the five petals may be cream, pink or red. The fruit is a red, purple or black berry about 11 mm (0.43 in) diameter containing 4-6 seeds.
Polyosma hirsuta, commonly known as hairy polyosma, is a plant in the family Escalloniaceae which is endemic to northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is an evergreen small tree growing up to 10 m (33 ft) high. The leaves may be 6 to 14 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, often with toothed margins and each tooth exhibiting a short stiff spine. Most parts of the plant, including the twigs, leaves and fruit, are clothed in fine pale brown hairs.
Polyosma rhytophloia, commonly known as wrinkled bark polyosma, is a plant in the family Escalloniaceae which is endemic to parts of eastern Queensland, Australia. It is an evergreen small tree growing up to 11 m (36 ft) high. The glabrous (hairless) leaves may be 7 to 12 cm long and 2 to 6 cm wide, with a number of very fine teeth along the margins. The veins are prominent on both sides of the blade, and the midrib is often purple on the underside.
Ryparosa kurrangii is a rare plant in the family Achariaceae which is endemic to a very small part of the Queensland tropical rain forests. It is a small tree growing under the rainforest canopy, producing its flowers and fruit on the lower part of the trunk. It was previously considered to be a form of the Ryparosa javanica complex of species.
Data related to Leea nova-guineensis at Wikispecies
Media related to Leea nova-guineensis at Wikimedia Commons