''Alocasia brisbanensis'', commonly known as cunjevoi or spoon lily, is a species of plant in the family
Araceae
The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). A ...
native to
rainforests of eastern
Australia. The common name "cunjevoi" derives from the
Bundjalung language Bundjalung may refer to:
* Bundjalung people, an Aboriginal-Australian group
* Western Bundjalung people, an Aboriginal-Australian group
** Wahlubal, their language
* Yugambeh-Bandjalangic peoples
The Yugambeh-Bandjalangic peoples (also known ju ...
of northern
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 ...
.
Description
''Alocasia brisbanensis'' has very large, spade-shaped leaves on long, fleshy petioles, and grows to a height of . The perfumed, summer
flowers
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 mechanism ...
are greenish-cream in colour, and similar to an
arum lily. Red fruits follow the flowering.
The plant is poisonous, and contact with the sap can lead to skin and eye irritation due to the presence of needle-like crystals of
Calcium oxalate. Eating any part of the plant causes immediate pain, a burning sensation and swelling of the lips, tongue and mouth. A small number of children have died as a result of eating parts of the plant.
Image:Alocasia brisbanensis.JPG, ''Alocasia brisbanensis'' (cunjevoi) growing at Dorrigo National Park
Dorrigo National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney on Dome Road off the Waterfall Way, east of the town of Dorrigo.
History
The park is part of the New England Group of the World Heritage Site Gondwa ...
, Australia
Image:Alocasia brisbanensis Eastwood.jpg, fruiting ''Alocasia brisbanensis'' (cunjevoi) at Eastwood, Australia
References
See also
*
List of plants known as lily Lily usually refers to herbaceous plants of the genus ''Lilium'', with large showy trumpet-shaped flowers. Many species are cultivated as ornamentals.
Many other plants not closely related to lilies are called lilies, usually because their flowers ...
External links
*
*
View a mapof historical sightings of this species at the
Australasian Virtual Herbarium
The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgama ...
View observationsof this species on
iNaturalist
iNaturalist is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applic ...
View imagesof this species on
Flickriver
Notes
brisbanensis
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Monocots of Australia
Plants described in 1902
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