Ricinocarpos caniana
| Ricinocarpos caniana | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male flowers | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Ricinocarpos |
| Species: | R. caniana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ricinocarpos caniana | |
Ricinocarpos caniana is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of south-eastern Queensland. It is an erect monoecious or dioecious shrub with linear leaves and white flowers, arranged either singly, with two to five male flowers, or a single female flower surrounded by up to four male flowers.
Description[edit]
Ricinocarpos caniana is an erect, monoecious or dioecious shrub that typically grows to height of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in), its young branchlets densely covered with greyish-white, star-shaped hairs. The leaves are linear, 45–100 mm (1.8–3.9 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide on a densely hairy petiole 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long. The upper surface of the leaves soon becomes glabrous and the lower surface is silky-hairy. The flowers are arranged either as a single male or female flower, or as clusters of two to five male flowers, or with a single female flower surrounded by up to four male flowers. Male flowers are on a slender, densely hairy pedicel 9–17 mm (0.35–0.67 in) long, the sepals joined at the base and densely hairy, the sepal lobes egg-shaped to elliptic and 4.3–5.8 mm (0.17–0.23 in) long, the petals white and egg-shaped, 9 mm (0.35 in) long and 4.7 mm (0.19 in) wide. Each male flower has about 50 stamens. Female flowers are on a stout, hairy pedicel 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) long, the sepal lobes 4.5–5.0 mm (0.18–0.20 in) long and 2.2–3.0 mm (0.087–0.118 in) long and the petals white and egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base and 7.0–7.5 mm (0.28–0.30 in) long. Flowering has been observed in August, and the fruit is a more or less spherical capsule 10–11 mm (0.39–0.43 in) in diameter and covered with star-shaped hairs.[2]
Taxonomy and naming[edit]
Ricinocarpos caniana was first formally described in 2007 by David Halford and Rodney Henderson in the journal Austrobaileya from specimens collected in Cania Gorge National Park in 1999.[2][3] The specific epithet (caniana) is derived from the name of the type location.[2]
Distribution and habitat[edit]
This species is only known from the type location in south-eastern Queensland, where it grows in forest with a dense shrubby understorey, between sandstone rocks on a steep scree slope.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Ricinocarpos caniana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d Halford, David A.; Henderson, Rodney J.F. (2007). "A taxonomic revision of Ricinocarpos Desf. (Euphorbiaceae: Ricinocarpeae, Ricinocarpinae)". Austrobaileya. 7 (3): 401–402. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Ricinocarpos caniana". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 16 August 2023.