Owenia (plant)

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Owenia
Owenia acidula.jpg
Owenia acidula
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliaceae
Subfamily: Melioideae
Genus: Owenia
F.Muell. [1]

Owenia is a genus of plants, mainly trees in the family Meliaceae. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. [2] They are endemic to Australia and fairly widespread across the continent. There are five species in the genus, living in conditions ranging from wet rainforest to the verges of the desert.

One species, Owenia cepiodora , is rare, and is renowned for having freshly cut bark that smells of onions. Its common name is onion cedar or bog onion.[ citation needed ]

The species recognised at the Australian Plant Census include [3]

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References

  1. Mueller, F.J.H (1857). "On some New Genera of Australian Plants, discovered during the progress of the North Australian Exploring Expedition ; by Dr. F. Mueller, Botanist to the Expedition, and Colonial Botanist at Victoria". Hooker's Journal of Botany and Kew Garden Miscellany. Reeve, Benham, and Reeve. 9 (1857): 303.
  2. Pennington, T. D.; Styles, B. T. (1975). "A Generic Monograph of the Meliaceae". Blumea. 22: 419–540.
  3. "Vascular Plants APC - Owenia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 March 2019.

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