Macintyre's boxwood | |
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Flowers seen in Edmonton, Queensland, Jan 2013 | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Polygalaceae |
Genus: | Xanthophyllum |
Species: | X. octandrum |
Binomial name | |
Xanthophyllum octandrum | |
Synonyms [4] | |
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Xanthophyllum octandrum, commonly known as Macintyre's boxwood, false jitta, yellow boxwood or sovereignwood, is a slow-growing tree in the milkwort family Polygalaceae which has the potential to reach thousands of years of age. It is endemic to coastal northeastern Queensland, Australia.
Macintyre's boxwood is a large rainforest tree growing up to 30 m (98 ft) in height, with a sparse crown and no buttress roots. [5] [6] The leaves are ovate to elliptic and measure up to 22 cm (8.7 in) by 6 cm (2.4 in). [5] [6] The inflorescence is a raceme up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long with fragrant zygomorphic flowers on pedicels about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. [5] [6] The globular orange fruits are 18 to 23 mm (0.71 to 0.91 in) diameter. The fruit splits along irregular lines to reveal a single seed which is completely enclosed in a black aril. [5] [6]
This species is very slow growing and the largest trees in its range are believed to be of great age. [5] One specimen has been radiocarbon dated at 3,500 years old. [7]
This species was first described in 1865 by the German-born Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller as Macintyria octandra. Mueller's description was based on specimens collected by John Dallachy at Rockingham Bay in Queensland, and was published in volume 5 of his work Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ . [8] [9] Apparently through oversight, Mueller published a second description shortly afterwards in the same year, this time giving it the combination Xanthophyllum macintyrii. The latter is an illegitmate name because it was based on the same type material. [6]
In 1927 the Czech botanist Karel Domin published a new description in Bibliotheca Botanica, giving the species its current binomial combination. [3] [4]
The genus name Xanthophyllum is a combination of the Ancient Greek words xanthós, "yellow", and fýllo, "leaf", a reference to the colour of aging leaves. [10] The species epithet octandrum is from octo, "eight", and andro, "male". This refers to the eight stamens in the flower. [6]
Macintyre's boxwood grows in well developed rainforest on various soils (but is more common on those derived from grantite), and is found at altitudes from sea level up to 1,600 m (5,200 ft). [5] [6]
Treatments of this species in both Flora of Australia and Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants state that it is endemic to Queensland. [5] [6] However the Australasian Virtual Herbarium has records of three sightings of the species in a single location in Papua New Guinea, more than 600 km (370 mi) to the northeast of the nearest sighting in Australia.
In Australia it occurs in a number of disjunct populations. The Australasian Virtual Herbarium has records in the following areas (listed from north to south): the tip of Cape York, both close to and within the Apudthama (formerly Jardine River) National Park; in the vicinity of Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park; a small cluster of sightings near Coen; the largest area with the majority of official sightings, from Cooktown to Lucinda, including the Atherton Tablelands; a cluster in the Paluma Range National Park; two occurrences on Mount Elliot; and the southernmost grouping at Eungella National Park, near Mackay. [11]
Fruits of Macintyre's boxwood are eaten by cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius), Sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), Metallic starlings (Aplonis metallica) and Golden bowerbirds (Prionodura newtoniana). [12] The leaves are eaten by Lumholtz's tree-kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi). [13]
As of 2 January 2023 [update] this species is listed as least concern by both the Queensland Department of Environment and Science and the IUCN. [1] [2]
The IUCN cites a wide distribution and no identified current or future threats as the justification for their assessment. It was last assessed by the group on 12 June 2018. [2]
Extracts of the bark of Xanthophyllum octandrum have shown strong cytotoxic activity, and thus a potential use in pharmacology. [14]
Agathis robusta, commonly known as the Queensland kauri (pine) or smooth-barked kauri, is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae. Although sometimes called a pine it is not a true pine, having leaves rather than needles. It has a disjunct distribution, occurring in Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia. Populations in Papua New Guinea may be treated as the distinct species Agathis spathulata.
Hymenosporum is a monotypic genus in the family Pittosporaceae. The sole included species is Hymenosporum flavum, commonly known as native frangipani, which is a rainforest tree native to New Guinea, Queensland and New South Wales. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the frangipani, but is related to the widespread genus Pittosporum.
Semecarpus australiensis, commonly known as the tar tree, native cashew, marking nut, or cedar plum, is a species of tree in the cashew, sumac 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.
Alocasia brisbanensis, commonly known as cunjevoi or spoon lily, is a species of plant in the family Araceae native to rainforests of eastern Australia. The common name "cunjevoi" derives from the Bundjalung language of northern New South Wales.
Melicope elleryana, commonly known as pink flowered doughwood, pink evodia, corkwood, or saruwa, is a species of rainforest shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae, and is native to New Guinea, parts of eastern Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and northern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and pink to white, bisexual flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils.
Calamus australis, commonly known as wait-a-while, hairy mary or lawyer cane, is a plant in the palm family Arecaceae which is endemic to the rainforests of north east Queensland, Australia. Like other species in the genus Calamus, this is a climbing plant with a very long and flexible stem. It uses sharp strong hooks on the fronds and tendrils to attach itself to other vegetation, such as taller established trees, thus gaining support that enables it to grow higher towards the canopy. This species is very similar to C. radicalis, with which it coexists, but is smaller in almost all respects.
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.
Buckinghamia celsissima, commonly known as the ivory curl tree, ivory curl flower or spotted silky oak, is a species of tree in the family Proteaceae. It is endemic to the tropical rainforests of northeastern Queensland, Australia.
Carnarvonia araliifolia, commonly known as the red oak, red silky oak, Caledonian oak or elephant's foot, is the sole species in the monotypic genus Carnarvonia, a member of the Proteaceae plant family. It is endemic to the rainforests of northeastern Queensland.
Palmeria scandens, commonly known as the anchor vine or pomegranate vine, is a climbing plant in the family Monimiaceae prevalent in rainforests of Queensland and New South Wales. It may also be present in New Guinea.
Gardenia ovularis is a small tree in the family Rubiaceae. It is endemic to a very restricted part of north east Queensland, namely the coastal rainforests from the Bloomfield River southwards to Etty Bay, and with a further isolated occurrence at Mount Elliot, south of Townsville It was first described by Frederick Manson Bailey in 1893.
Atractocarpus hirtus, commonly known as the hairy gardenia or native loquat, is a plant in the madder family Rubiaceae, a large family of some 6,500 species with a cosmopolitan distribution. This species is endemic to north-east Queensland, Australia.
Argophyllum lejourdanii is a plant in the Argophyllaceae family endemic to a part of north eastern Queensland, Australia. It was described and named in 1863.
Hypserpa laurina is a slender twining climber in the plant family Menispermaceae. It is native to New Guinea and north eastern Queensland in Australia.
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.
Selaginella australiensis is a plant in the spikemoss family Selaginellaceae endemic to northeastern Queensland. It grows in rainforest and closed forest from Cooktown to near Mission Beach, including the Atherton Tablelands. It is a low growing and much branched terrestrial plant inhabiting damp shady locations, typically along stream banks.
Alstonia muelleriana is a tree in the family Apocynaceae which is native to southern Papua New Guinea and northeastern Queensland.
Meiogyne hirsuta is a plant in the family Annonaceae endemic to the Wet Tropics of Queensland in Australia. It is known from only a small number of collections from three widely separated locations in the Wet Tropics, namely Cedar Bay near Cooktown, the lower reaches of Mossman Gorge, and the foothills of the southern Atherton Tablelands in the vicinity of the North Johnstone River.
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