Milky plum | |
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At Cairns Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Sapotaceae |
Subfamily: | Chrysophylloideae |
Genus: | Van-royena Aubrév. [2] |
Species: | V. castanosperma |
Binomial name | |
Van-royena castanosperma | |
Synonyms [4] | |
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Van-royena is a monotypic genus (a genus that contains only one species) in the plant family Sapotaceae. The sole species is Van-royena castanosperma, commonly known as milky plum, yellow plum, saffron boxwood or poison plum, which is endemic to Queensland, Australia. It is an understorey tree of rainforest, first described in 1919.
Van-royena castanosperma is an evergreen shrub or small tree up to 15 m (49 ft) tall. The twigs are lenticellate and glabrous (hairless), except for new growth which is finely hairy. The leaves are simple and arranged spirally on the twigs. They measure up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long by 5 cm (2.0 in) wide, and may be oblanceolate, lanceolate or elliptic. The petiole (leaf stalk) is about 5 mm (0.2 in) long and produces a milky exudate (sap) when broken. They have up to 13 pairs of lateral veins either side of the midrib. [5] [6] [7] [8]
The inflorescence is a small fascicle. The flowers have 5 overlapping sepals about 6 mm (0.2 in) long, which have fine rusty brown hairs on both sides. The corolla tube (i.e. the structure formed by the fusing of the basal portions of the petals) is about 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long, with 5 broadly ovate lobes about 2 mm (0.08 in) long. The corolla is glabrous except for some fine hairs on the margins of the lobes. Stamens are attached low in the corolla tube — the filaments are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long, the anther about 2 mm (0.08 in). The ovary is about 5 mm (0.20 in) long and 3 mm (0.12 in) diameter with 5 locules, and is densely hairy. The style is about 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long. [5] [9] [7] [8]
The fruit is a drupe, blue/black when ripe, with the calyx persisting at the base and an extended point at the apex. They measure up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and 4.5 cm (1.8 in) wide, and they contain 1–3 seeds up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long and 3 cm (1.2 in) wide. [5] [6] [7] [8]
This plant was first described as Chrysophyllum castanospermum in 1919 by Australian botanist Cyril Tenison White, based on a specimen he collected in the upper parts of the Johnstone River. The specimen had fruit but no flowers, so he was only able to describe some aspects of the flower interpreted from the fruit, stating "Corolla not seen". He was aware that his placement of the specimen in Chrysophyllum may have to be changed when "perfect flowers are available". [6] In 1923, he and fellow Australian botanist William Douglas Francis published a new description after examining flowering specimens from the Atherton Tableland collected by G. Curry, and they transferred it to the genus Lucuma, giving it the new combination L. castanosperma. [9]
The species was renamed again in 1942, when Swiss botanist Charles Baehni published a paper in the journal Candollea in which he gave it the new binomial Pouteria castanosperma. [7]
Most recently, in 1963, French botanist André Aubréville created the new genus Van-royena for the plant, implying some unique characteristics of the species. This move is supported by later research, and it has been suggested that the species may be the result of intergeneric cross-pollination. [10]
The genus name Van-royena is in honour of Pieter van Royen (1923–2002), a Dutch botanist. He was an author of many papers on the flora of New Guinea. [11] The species epithet castanosperma is derived from Castanea, the chestnut genus, and the Latin word sperma (seed), a reference to the similar appearance of the seeds of this species to the chestnut. [12]
This species is restricted to the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, and occurs in coastal and sub-coastal areas from about 40 km (25 mi) north of Cooktown to the area around Tully. It inhabits well-developed rainforest at altitudes from sea level to about 1,200 m (3,900 ft). [5] [12] [13]
As of December 2024 [update] , this species has been assessed to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation Act. [1] [14]
The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order Ericales. The family includes about 800 species of evergreen trees and shrubs in around 65 genera. Their distribution is pantropical.
Chrysophyllum is a group of trees in the Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753.
Pouteria is a genus of flowering trees in the gutta-percha family, Sapotaceae. The genus is widespread throughout the tropical Americas, with outlier species in Cameroon and Malesia. It includes the canistel, the mamey sapote, and the lucuma. Commonly, this genus is known as pouteria trees, or in some cases, eggfruits.
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.
Eupomatia laurina, commonly named bolwarra, native guava or copper laurel, is a species of plant in the primitive flowering-plant family Eupomatiaceae endemic to Australia and New Guinea.
Normanbya is a monotypic genus of palms containing the single species Normanbya normanbyi, which is known by the common name black palm It is endemic to Queensland, Australia and is threatened by habitat destruction.
Huberantha nitidissima, commonly known as canary beech or shiny leaf tree, is a plant in the custard apple family Annonaceae. It is found in seasonal tropical forests and along moist watercourses in New Caledonia, Vanuatu and the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.
Planchonella australis, also known by the synonym Pouteria australis, is a medium to tall rainforest tree of the family Sapotaceae native to Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. It is known by the common name black apple, wild plum, yellow buttonwood, black plum and yellow bulletwood.
Semecarpus australiensis, commonly known as the tar tree, native cashew, marking nut, or cedar plum, is a species of tree in the cashew and mango family Anacardiaceae, native to parts of Melanesia and northern Australia. Contact with the plant can cause serious allergic reactions, a common characteristic of this family.
Calamus caryotoides, commonly known as fish-tail lawyer cane, is a climbing palm native to Queensland, Australia. Its habitat is rainforest and monsoon forest.
Pleioluma queenslandica, the blush condoo, is a large rainforest tree of the family Sapotaceae native to eastern Australia. It is found in sea side rainforest as well as the drier inland rainforests. From as far south as the Richmond River, New South Wales to Coen in tropical Queensland, and as far west as Melville Island, Northern Territory.
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.
Chrysophyllum imperiale is a tropical tree of the family Sapotaceae native to eastern South America. It is currently classified as an endangered species. Its fruits were very much appreciated by the first emperor of Brazil, Pedro I and his son Pedro II, who exported specimens of the tree as an offering to various botanical gardens around the world, including Sydney and Lisbon.
Chrysophyllum oliviforme, commonly known as the satinleaf, is a medium-sized tree native to Florida, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and Belize. It is also known as damson plum, wild star-apple and saffron-tree. It gets the name "satinleaf" from the distinctive colors of the leaves. The top of the leaf is dark green while the bottom is light brown or copper. This distinctive look makes it a very aesthetically pleasing tree that is commonly used as an ornamental in yards and public spaces.
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.
Irvingbaileya is a monotypic genus—that is, a genus that contains just one species—of flowering plants in the family Stemonuraceae. The sole species is Irvingbaileya australis, commonly known as buff beech or wax berry, a rainforest tree endemic to Queensland, Australia.
Ostrearia is a monotypic genus - i.e. a genus containing only one species - of plants in the witch-hazel family Hamamelidaceae. It is the first described of three monotypic Australian genera in this family, the others being Neostrearia and Noahdendron. It is most closely related to these genera, as well as Trichocladus from southern Africa and Dicoryphe from Madagascar, and together these five genera form a distinct clade within Hamamelidaceae.
Pittosporum rubiginosum, commonly known as hairy red pittosporum, is an evergreen shrub in the family Pittosporaceae which is endemic to northeastern Queensland, Australia. It was first described in 1840.
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.
Larsenaikia ochreata, commonly known as Wenlock gardenia, scented Gardenia bush or wild Gardenia, is a plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae endemic to Queensland, Australia.