Blepharocarya involucrigera

Blepharocarya involucrigera is a tree in the sumac family Anacardiaceae. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia. Common names include north Queensland bollygum, northern bollygum and rose butternut.[1][3]

Blepharocarya involucrigera
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Blepharocarya
Species:
B. involucrigera
Binomial name
Blepharocarya involucrigera

Description

Blepharocarya involucrigera grows best in well developed rainforest, where it can reach 40m in height with a dense rounded canopy, but in marginal habitats it may only reach 15m.[3][4] The leaves are compound with 10 to 18 opposite leaflets, up to 15cm long and up to 4.5cm wide, elliptic to ovate in shape. Mature leaves are dark green above and paler beneath, while new growth is a rosey red.[3][4][5][6] Above the basal pair of leaflets the rachis is flattened on the upper surface with angular edges (tending to winged).[3][4]

Range and Habitat

This species grows in rainforest, monsoon forest and vine thickets from the Torres Strait islands and Cape York Peninsula south to the Atherton Tablelands, and from sea level to 800m.[3][5][7][8]

Flowers and Fruits

Large terminal panicles of small, pale green to white flowers appear in the spring.[6][8] This species is dioecious, that is, male and female flowers appear on separate plants.[9] Fruits are small and flattened, around 4mm x 8mm, surrounded by small hairs on the marginal edge.[5][8] They are enclosed within a green, fibrous involucre, which dries and opens to release the fruit, becoming brown and woody in the process. The dry involucres may persist on the tree for some time and are often found on the ground underneath mature trees.[3][4][10][11] This very distinctive fruit and the flattened rachis make easily-recognisable key identifiers for the species.

Taxonomy and Naming

The species was formally described in 1878 by Victorian Government botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in the 11th volume of his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae based on plant material collected near the Endeavour River in north-east Queensland.[2] The name Blepharocarya comes from the Greek blepharon (eyelid), carya (nut) which refers to the fruit having hairs around the margin and resembling an eyelid. The specific epithet comes from involucre (a whorl of bracts around flowers or fruit), and -ger (bearing or borne on).[8]

Toxicity

As with many other plants in the Anacardiaceae family, contact with the resin or other parts of the tree can cause severe allergic reactions including dermatitis, conjunctivitis, and headaches. Individuals may become increasingly sensitised to contact with any part of the tree.[3][4][6][11]

Uses

The tree produces a decorative timber that has been used for cabinetmaking, flooring and cooperage.[3][11] Fruits are eaten by Double-eyed Fig Parrots and King Parrots[8]

  • Blepharocarya involucrigera - colourful new growth
  • Blepharocarya involucrigera at Kewarra Beach, Queensland
  • Dried involucres of Blepharocarya involucrigera
  • Ripening fruits of Blepharocarya involucrigera (Rose butternut)
  • Blepharocarya involucrigera mature tree in Smithfield, Queensland

References
  1. "Species profile". Queensland Government. Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  2. "Blepharocarya involucrigera". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  3. "Factsheet - Blepharocarya involucrigera". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. "Trees Australia Identification Pictures, Photos, Images & Descriptions VIC, NSW, QLD Page 9". NAMBUCCA DESIGN, RAINFOREST BOOK, GREEN GUIDE TO TREES AUSTRALIA. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  5. "Blepharocarya involucrigera F.Muell". Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
  6. Jones, David (1986). Rainforest Plants of Australia. Reed Books. p. 198. ISBN 0-7301-0381-1.
  7. "Spatial Portal - Atlas of Living Australia". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. Cooper, William; Cooper, Wendy (2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions. p. 16. ISBN 0-9581742-1-0.
  9. "Blepharocarya involucrigera F. Müll. data". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  10. "Blepharocarya involucrigera (Anacardiaceae)". Leaf Whispering in the Tropics. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  11. Beasley, John (2009). Plants of Cape York - the complete guide. John Beasley. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-9806863-0-2.



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