''Abrophyllum'' ( syn.: ''Brachynema'' F.Muell.) is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Saxifragaceae Saxifragaceae is a family of herbaceous perennial flowering plants, within the core eudicot order Saxifragales. The taxonomy of the family has been greatly revised and the scope much reduced in the era of molecular phylogenetic analysis. The fa ...

''sensu lato'' according to Engler, A. in Engler &

Prantl Prantl is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Florian Prantl, Austrian luger * Heribert Prantl (born 1953), German journalist and jurist * Karl Prantl (1923–2010), Austrian sculptor * Karl Anton Eugen Prantl (1849&n ...

and Schulze-Menz, G. K. in

Melchior Melchior is the name traditionally given to one of the biblical Magi appearing in the Gospel of Matthew. There are many notable people with this name, or close variations. As a first name * Melchior Anderegg (1828–1914), Swiss mountain guide * ...

, 1964; placed in Subfamily Escallonioideae, Tribe Cuttsieae, it is closely related to ''

Cuttsia ''Cuttsia viburnea'' is a shrub or bushy tree which has toothed leaves and panicles of white flowers, and that is endemic to eastern Australia. It is sometimes called silver-leaved cuttsia, and confusingly also native elderberry, honey bush or na ...

''. In the

APG II system The APG II system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II system) of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Gr ...

''Abrophyllum'' is placed in family

Rousseaceae Rousseaceae is a plant family in the order Asterales containing trees and shrubs. The fruit is a berry or capsule. Leaves are simple, with toothed margins. Leaf stipules are not seen in this group. The family contains four genera and twelve or t ...

. The sole species is ''Abrophyllum ornans''. Its common name is native hydrangea, but it does not have great affinity with the true

hydrangea ''Hydrangea'', () commonly named the hortensia, is a genus of over 75 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Korea, and Japan. Most are shrubs tall, ...

Classification

It is also classified in

Escalloniaceae Escalloniaceae is a family of flowering plants consisting of about 130 species in seven genera. In the APG II system it is one of eight families in the euasterids II clade (campanulids) that are unplaced as to order. More recent research has prov ...

(by Hutchinson 1967; Dahlgren; Thorne),

Grossulariaceae ''Ribes'' is a genus of about 200 known species of flowering plants, most of them native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The various species are known as currants or gooseberries, and some are cultivated for their edible ...

( Cronquist 1988), Carpodetaceae ( APG I 1998, Kubitzki 2007),

(

APG II The APG II system (Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II system) of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Gr ...

2003, Shipunov 2005, Thorne & Reveal 2007 and Heywood ''et al.'' 2007), or even in its own family Abrophyllaceae Nakai ( Reveal and

Takhtajan Armen Leonovich Takhtajan or Takhtajian ( hy, Արմեն Լևոնի Թախտաջյան; russian: Армен Леонович Тахтаджян; surname also transliterated Takhtadjan, Takhtadzhi︠a︡n or Takhtadzhian, pronounced takh-tuh-JA ...

1997).

Distribution

It is native to Australia (

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

). Its

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is warm-temperate and subtropical rainforest, especially along smaller watercourses or in

gullies A gully is a landform created by running water, mass movement, or commonly a combination of both eroding sharply into soil or other relatively erodible material, typically on a hillside or in river floodplains or terraces. Gullies resemble lar ...

on poorer soils. The natural range of distribution is from the

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

to the

McIlwraith Range The McIlwraith Range is a rugged, dissected granite plateau on Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland, Australia. Part of the Great Dividing Range, the McIlwraith Range covers about and lies about east of the town of Coen, and north ...

in far north eastern Australia.* Floyd, Alexander G., ''Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia'', Inkata Press 1989, , page 126

Description

Shrubs or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s to 8 m high; leaves simple, mostly 10–20 cm long, 3–8 cm wide, alternate, large,

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

, long-acuminate, subserrate; without

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...

s, petiole 20–40 mm long.

Flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s in terminal or axillary cymes, yellowish. Calyx is short (c. 2 mm long.), tubular, lobes usually 5 or sometimes 6, deciduous. Petals 4–5 mm long, usually 5 or sometimes 6, valvate, spreading, deciduous. Stamens usually 5 or sometimes 6, inserted on the margin of the inconspicuous nectary disk; anthers broad oblong; filaments very short.

Gynoecium Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils' ...

of 5

carpel Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) '' pistils' ...

s, receptacle patelliform. Ovary superior, 5-locular, with numerous axile

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the '' integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the ...

s, stigma sessile, 5-lobed.

Fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

a small (8–12 mm long, 5–7 mm wide), oblong, dark, mainly black

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

, crowned by the stigma, many-seeded;

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s small, subglobose, testa deeply latticed; embryo very small; endosperm fleshy and oily.

Uses

Sometimes (locally) cultivated for its ornamental foliage and fruits.

References

Bibliography

* Bentham, G. & Hooker, J. D. (1862-1867). ''Genera Plantarum''.Volume I, p. 647. Reeve, London * Engler, A. (1930). Saxifragaceae. In Engler, A. & Prantl, K.:''Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien'', 18a, 2nd Edition, p. 213. (In

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

) * Schulze-Menz, G.K. (1964). Rosales. In H. Melchior (Editor). A. Engler's: ''Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien'', Volume II, 12th edition. Berlin: Gebrüder Borntraeger, pp. 193–242. * Hutchinson, J.(1967):''The Genera of Flowering Plants'', Volume II, p. 30. *Gustafsson, M. H. G. & Bremer, K. (1997). The circumscription and systematic position of Carpodetaceae.''Australian Systematic Botany'' 10(6): 855–862. t is proposed that the family Carpodetaceae be expanded to encompass ''Abrophyllum'' and ''Cuttsia''. *Takhtajan, A. (1997). ''Diversity and classification of flowering plants'', 370–373. * Hils, M. H. (1985). Comparative anatomy and systematics of twelve woody Australasian genera of the Saxifragaceae. Matthew Hils: Florida xvi, 239, 3. - illus. Icones, Anatomy and morphology. Thesis: University of Florida: PhD ncluding ''Abrophyllum''

External links

Abrophyllum - Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network

PlantNET
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4055107, from2=Q17479710 Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Rousseaceae Asterales of Australia Monotypic Asterales genera