Rhodosphaera

Last updated

Rhodosphaera
Rhodosphaera rhodanthema juvenile lobed leaves.jpg
Lobed juvenile foliage of Deep Yellow Wood
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Rhodosphaera
Engl.
Species:
R. rhodanthema
Binomial name
Rhodosphaera rhodanthema
(F.Muell.) Engl.

Rhodosphaera is a genus of plants in the family Anacardiaceae. The genus includes a single species, Rhodosphaera rhodanthema, which is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It grows in sub tropical rainforests and also in the drier form of rainforests. The natural range of distribution is from the Macleay River, New South Wales to Maryborough in south east Queensland. Common names include deep yellowwood, yellow cedar and tulip satinwood.

Contents

Description

A medium-sized tree growing to around 25 metres tall and a trunk diameter of 75 cm. The trunk is cylindrical with buttressing at the base. The bark is scaly dark brown.

Leaves are lobed when coppicing or juvenile, somewhat resembling an oak leaf. Mature leaves are pinnate and alternate with six to twelve leaflets, 4 to 7 cm long and 1 to 2 cm broad. More or less opposite each other on the stem, not equal at the leaf base. Leaf shape is elliptic to elliptic lanceolate with a blunt tip. Sometimes with minor leaf serrations, otherwise entire. The leaf's midrib is raised on both surfaces.

Red flowers form in panicles in the months of September to October. Male and female flowers are sometimes on different trees.

The fruit is a shiny dark brown drupe, 1 cm in diameter. Inside the fruit is one flat seed, around 9 mm long. The fruit is ripe from February to June.

Regeneration is fairly slow but reliable. Scraping or filing the seed is advised to assist seed germination.

Uses

The yellow timber is well regarded, being fine grained and attractively figured. Also Rhodosphaera rhodanthema is an appealing park tree.

Rhodosphaera rhodanthema - leaves and flower panicle Rhodosphaera rhodanthema panicle.jpg
Rhodosphaera rhodanthema - leaves and flower panicle
drawing by Margaret Flockton Rhodosphaera rhodanthema00.jpg
drawing by Margaret Flockton

Related Research Articles

<i>Beilschmiedia elliptica</i> Species of tree

Beilschmiedia elliptica, known as the grey walnut is a rainforest laurel growing in eastern Australia. The range of natural distribution is from Forster, New South Wales to Fraser Island in southeastern Queensland. Beilschmiedia elliptica grows in warm temperate and subtropical rainforests. Not a rare species, but seldom identified in the rainforest.

<i>Stenocarpus salignus</i> Species of tree in the family Proteaceae from New South Wales and Queensland

Stenocarpus salignus, known as the scrub beefwood is an Australian rainforest tree in the family Proteaceae. Found in warmer rainforests on the coast and ranges. It is often found in warm temperate rainforest on poorer sedimentary soils, or on volcanic soils above 750 metres above sea level. It was originally described by the botanist Robert Brown in 1810.

<i>Brachychiton discolor</i> Species of tree

Brachychiton discolor is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It grows in drier rainforest areas. Scattered from Paterson, New South Wales to Mackay, Queensland. There is also an isolated community of these trees at Cape York Peninsula.

<i>Symplocos thwaitesii</i> Species of tree

Symplocos thwaitesii, or the buff hazelwood, is a rainforest tree growing in eastern Australia. Seen in tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperate rainforests, often in gullies. Occasionally it grows in cooler situations such as at Monga National Park.

<i>Claoxylon australe</i> Species of tree

Claoxylon australe, known as brittlewood is a common rainforest shrub or understorey tree. Its habitat includes all types of eastern Australian rainforests. The natural range of distribution is from Eden in southeastern New South Wales to Bowen in tropical Queensland.

<i>Croton verreauxii</i> Species of tree

Croton verreauxii, known as the green native cascarilla, is a small tree or shrub growing in dry rainforest and rainforest margins in eastern Australia.

<i>Psychotria loniceroides</i> Species of tree

Psychotria loniceroides, the hairy psychotria, is a plant native to the forest areas of eastern Australia.

<i>Polyscias sambucifolia</i> Species of tree

Polyscias sambucifolia, commonly known as elderberry panax or small basswood, is a species of plant native to eastern Australia.

<i>Notelaea venosa</i> Species of tree

Notelaea venosa is a very common shrub or small tree in eastern Australia. Occurring in or adjacent to rainforest from Lakes Entrance, Victoria to Cunninghams Gap in south eastern Queensland. Common names include veined mock-olive, smooth mock-olive, large-leaved mock-olive and large mock-olive. Often seen in the bushland areas in Sydney.

<i>Elattostachys nervosa</i> Species of tree

Elattostachys nervosa, known as the green tamarind or beetroot tree is a common rainforest tree of eastern Australia. Found in all types of rainforest, growing from Paterson, New South Wales in the south to Gympie in south east Queensland. The name Elattostachys refers to "little spikes", a flower feature of other plants in this genus. Nervosa refers to the prominent leaf venation. Beetroot Tree refers to the beetroot red leaves of the new growth.

<i>Mallotus philippensis</i> Species of plant

Mallotus philippensis is a plant in the spurge family. It is known as the kamala tree or red kamala or kumkum tree, due to the fruit covering, which produces a red dye. However, it must be distinguished from kamala meaning "lotus" in many Indian languages, an unrelated plant, flower, and sometimes metonymic spiritual or artistic concept. Mallotus philippensis has many other local names. This kamala often appears in rainforest margins. Or in disturbed areas free from fire, in moderate to high rainfall areas.

<i>Drypetes deplanchei</i> Species of tree

Drypetes deplanchei is a tree of eastern and northern Australia. It also occurs in New Caledonia and Lord Howe Island. The genus is derived from the Greek, dryppa meaning "olive fruit". The species named after Dr. Emile Deplanche, who collected this plant at New Caledonia. Common names include yellow tulip, grey boxwood, white myrtle, grey bark and yellow tulipwood.

<i>Bridelia exaltata</i> Species of tree

Bridelia exaltata, known as the brush ironbark or scrub ironbark, is a tree of eastern Australia. It occurs in and on the margins of the drier rainforests, and also by streams, often in association with the black bean, up to an elevation of 600 metres above sea level. It occurs from Seal Rocks, New South Wales to Maryborough, Queensland.

<i>Capparis arborea</i> Species of tree

Capparis arborea is a bush or small tree occurring in eastern Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, usually riverine, littoral or the drier rainforests. It is distributed from the Hunter River, New South Wales to Cape Melville in tropical Queensland. Common names include native pomegranate, wild lime, wild lemon and brush caper berry. Capparis arborea is a host plant for the caper white , which migrate across the eastern seaboard in large numbers in the summer. It also feeds the chalky white

<i>Rhodamnia argentea</i> Species of tree

Rhodamnia argentea is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. Commonly known asmalletwood, white myrtle, silver leaf, silver malletwood and white turpentine. The natural habitat is a variety of different rain forests, at sea level or in the adjacent ranges. Growing on sand, alluvium and volcanic based soils. From the Hastings River, New South Wales to Bowen, Queensland.

<i>Sarcopteryx stipata</i> Species of tree

Sarcopteryx stipata, known as the steelwood, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia occurring from the Bulga Plateau and Comboyne Plateau north west of Taree, New South Wales as far north as Fraser Island off the coast of south eastern Queensland. It grows in sub tropical rainforest but sometimes occurs in warm temperate rainforests on poorer soils. It is a member of the soap berry family. The generic name Sarcopteryx translates to "fleshy wing", as the fruit can be wing shaped. Stipata means "surrounded". The common name steelwood refers to the very tough, hard and heavy timber.

<i>Alangium polyosmoides</i> Species of plant

Alangium polyosmoides is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs on a variety of different soils, generally close to the coast. Found from Minmi near Newcastle to as far north as the McIlwraith Range in far northeastern Queensland. It may be seen as a common understorey plant at Wingham Brush Nature Reserve.

<i>Mallotus claoxyloides</i> Species of tree

Mallotus claoxyloides is an Australian rainforest plant in the spurge family. Common names include green kamala, odour bush, and smell of the bush. Opinions are divided on the strong scent of the plant. Some say it is offensive and resembles a skunk while most others find the scent aromatic and delightful. Because of the scent, it is grown in gardens.

<i>Cupaniopsis newmanii</i> Species of tree

Cupaniopsis newmanii is a rainforest plant in the soapberry family. It is native to eastern Australia. The common name is long-leaved tuckeroo. A rare plant, with a ROTAP listing of 2RC-. The habitat is subtropical rainforest ranging from Mullumbimby in New South Wales to Gympie in south-eastern Queensland.

<i>Petalostigma triloculare</i> Species of tree

Petalostigma triloculare, known as the long-leaved bitter bark is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs in the drier rainforests, often on sandy soil derived from granite or sandstone, and is sometimes seen on old sand dunes.

References

    dosphaera rhodanthema at NSW Flora Online] Retrieved 4 July 2009