Trochocarpa gunnii | |
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In Mt. Field National Park | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Genus: | Trochocarpa |
Species: | T. gunnii |
Binomial name | |
Trochocarpa gunnii | |
Trochocarpa gunnii is a species of flowering plant of the family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a common, tall, rainforest understorey shrub with broadly oblong leaves and small, dense spikes of white, sometimes pink or red, glabrous flowers and purple to orange drupes.
Trochocarpa gunnii is a common, rainforest understorey shrub that typically grows to a height of about 2–4 m (6 ft 7 in – 13 ft 1 in) [2] and has many branches. [3] The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, so that the shoot appears flattened. [4] The leaves are oval to oblong, usually 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) long with 3 to 5 ribs on the lower, lighter surface. [3] [5] The flowers are borne in short, almost spherical spikes on the ends of branches or on the previous year's growth with bracts and bracteoles about half as long as the sepals, the sepals about 1.6 mm (0.063 in) long. The petals are white, pink or red and glabrous, joined at the base to for a bell-shaped tube 3.2 mm (0.13 in) long and longer than the sepals, the petal-lobe short. [4] [5] The fruits is a fleshy, purple to orange drupe about 8 mm (0.31 in) in diameter. [3]
This species was first formally described in 1847 by Joseph Dalton Hooker who gave it the name Decaspora gunnii in William Jackson Hooker's The London journal of botany, from specimens collected in the "Hampshire Hills" by Ronald Campbell Gunn. [6] [7] In 1868, George Bentham transferred the species to Trochocarpa as T. gunnii in his Flora Australiensis ." [5] [8] The specific epithet (gunnii), honours the collector of the type collection. [7]
This species can be confused with Trochocarpa cunninghamii, which is a low growing, scrambling shrub with red flowers, and is more commonly found at high altitudes. [4] The rainforest Archeria species ( A. eriocarpa and A. hirtella ) [9] also have similar foliage to T. gunnii, however these species only have one vein on the underside of the leaf.
Trochocarpa gunnii is endemic to Tasmania and is found in rainforests and sub-alpine areas of the state. [10]
The closest relatives of Trochocarpa gunnii appear to be Monotoca scoparia and Montitega dealbata , [11] both of which occur in Tasmania. [10] M. scoparia is endemic to Australia [12] and is found in many parts of the South East of the country, while M. dealbata is endemic to Tasmania. [13]
The Tasmanian temperate rain forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in western Tasmania. The ecoregion is part of the Australasian realm, which includes Tasmania and Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia, and adjacent islands.
Richea pandanifolia, the pandani or giant grass tree, is a distinctive endemic Tasmanian angiosperm. It is dicot of the family Ericaceae and is found in central, western and south west Tasmania. It is a favourite among hikers and nature lovers.
Trochocarpa is a genus of about 16 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae native to Australia, New Guinea, Borneo and Malesia. Plants in the genus Trochocarpa are shrubs or small trees, the leaves with more or less parallel veins, flowers in small clusters, each with 5 sepals, petals joined to form a cylindrical or bell-shaped tube, and the fruit a more or less spherical drupe.
Epacris gunnii is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with hairy branchlets, concave, sharply-pointed, broadly egg-shaped leaves, and tube-shaped, white flowers arranged along the stems.
Acacia gunnii, commonly known as ploughshare wattle or dog's tooth wattle, is a woody shrub which is endemic to south-eastern Australia found in dry heaths and woodlands. It ranges from Queensland, then New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia, down to Tasmania. Acacia gunnii grows to up to 1 metre high and has prickly phyllodes which are 4 to 15 mm long. The cream to pale yellow globular flowerheads appear singly in the axils of the phyllodes in June to October, followed by curved or coiled seed pods which are 40 mm long and 4 to 5 mm wide. Acacia gunnii grows up to 1 meter tall and has prickly phyllodes which are 4 to 15mm in length with cream to pale-yellow globular flower heads appearing in phyllode axils in June through to October, followed by curved or coiled seed pods which are 40mm long and 4 to 5 mm wide. The species was first formally described by English botanist George Bentham in the London Journal of Botany in 1842. It occurs in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, and Queensland.
Goodia lotifolia, commonly known as golden tip or clover tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a sometimes tall shrub with trifoliate leaves, the leaflets narrowly egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, and bright yellow, pea-like flowers with red or brown markings.
Archeria serpyllifolia is a dense, compact, low growing shrub, that is endemic to Tasmania, Australia, inhabiting the undisturbed alpine areas of southern and south-west Tasmania. This plant is commonly referred to by Australasian naturalists as thyme archeria.
Monotoca scoparia, commonly known as prickly broom heath, is a widespread native species across south-eastern Australia. Monotoca scoparia was formerly in the family Epacridaceae but now belongs to the family Ericaceae. Monotoca is an endemic Australian genus with 17 described species occurring in all states.
Richea gunnii, the bog candleheath or Gunns richea, is an endemic Tasmanian angiosperm. It is a dicot of the family Ericaceae and is found in Central, Western and North-east Tasmania.
Trochocarpa thymifolia is a species of flowering plant from the family Ericacae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a widespread alpine and subalpine shrub with small leaves, pink to red flowers and blue to purple fruit. Originally described by botanist Robert Brown in 1810, it is a widespread Tasmanian endemic that inhabits the state's mountain regions.
Epacris serpyllifoliais a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small low-lying or weakly erect shrub with heart-shaped to broadly egg-shaped leaves and tube-shaped white flowers crowded in upper leaf axils.
Trochocarpa cunninghamii is a flowering plant species of the family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is commonly referred to as straggling purpleberry due to its round flattened mauve drupe fruits. It is a woody shrub usually found in the understorey of rainforests and subalpine forests in the Central Plateau and western Tasmania.
Styphelia mitchellii is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae family and is endemic to Queensland. It is a shrub with sharply-pointed, narrowly oblong leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers.
Spyridium gunnii is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an upright shrub with more or less glabrous, egg-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, and mostly more than 12 mm (0.47 in) long. The heads of flowers are arranged in cymes surrounded by 2, 3 or more floral leaves. The sepals are about 3 mm (0.12 in) long and woolly-hairy on the outside.
Spyridium lawrencei, commonly known as small-leaf spyridium or small-leaf dustymiller, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an erect, compact or straggling shrub with small, leathery, round to heart-shaped leaves, and dense heads of hairy, cream-coloured flowers.
Cryptandra alpina, commonly known as alpine pearlflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a small, prostrate shrub with slender branches, linear leaves, and tube-shaped white flowers arranged singly on the ends of branches.
Spyridium obovatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is an upright shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.9–2.5 m and has egg-shaped leaves, the narrower end towards the base, and about 13 mm (0.51 in) long. Small, compact heads of flowers are arranged on the ends of branchlets, the sepals either cream-coloured or yellow, depending on the variety.
Spyridium ulicinum is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a tall shrub with linear to oblong leaves, and single or small groups of white flowers.
Brachyloma depressum, commonly known as spreading brachyloma or spreading heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a stiff, prickly shrub with sharply-pointed, lance-shaped leaves and white, tube-shaped flowers.
Trochocarpa disticha is a flowering plant species of the family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is a tall shrub with slender branches, its leaves egg-shaped to narrowly lance-shaped and arranged in two opposite rows (distichous), reddish flowers in curved spikes with bell-shaped petal tubes, and deep to pale purple drupes.