''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (

Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales. The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...

). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrubs. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, they are often called "ash trees" or "sarsaparilla trees". This is rather misleading however; among the flowering plants, ''Alphitonia'' is not closely related to the true ash trees (''

Fraxinus ''Fraxinus'' (), common name, commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of Subtropics, subtropic ...

'' of the asterids), and barely at all to the monocot sarsaparilla vines ('' Smilax''). The name is derived from Greek ''álphiton'' (, " barley- meal"), from the mealy quality of their fruits' mesocarps.. Another interpretation is that "baked barley meal" alludes to the mealy red covering around the hard cells in the fruit.

Alexander Floyd Alexander Geoffrey Floyd (1 April 1926 – 12 December 2022) was an Australian botanist with an expert knowledge of rainforest plants, particularly the rainforest trees of New South Wales. He has worked with the New South Wales Forestry Commiss ...

, ''Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia'', Inkata Press 2008, page 322 The lanceolate coriaceous leaves are alternate, about 12 cm long. The margins are smooth. Venation is pinnate. They have white to rusty complex hairs on the under surface. The petiole is less than a quarter the length of a blade. Stipules are present. The small flowers form terminal or axillary clusters of small creamy blossoms during spring. The flowers are bisexual. Hypanthium is present. The flowers show 5 sepals, 5 petals and 5 stamens. The ovary is inferior. The fruits are ovoid, blackish non-fleshy capsules, with one seed per

locule A locule (plural locules) or loculus (plural loculi) (meaning "little place" in Latin) is a small cavity or compartment within an organ or part of an organism (animal, plant, or fungus). In angiosperms (flowering plants), the term ''locule'' usu ...

. ''Alphitonia'' species are used as food plants by the larva the hepialid moth ''

Aenetus mirabilis ''Aenetus mirabilis'' is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from Queensland. The larvae feed on ''Alphitonia ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn fa ...

'', which feed only on these trees. They burrow horizontally into the trunk, then vertically down.

Selected species

* ''

Alphitonia carolinensis ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family ( Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shru ...

'' * ''

Alphitonia excelsa ''Alphitonia excelsa'', commonly known as the red ash or soap tree, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae. It is endemic to Australia, being found in New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and the northeastern tip of Western A ...

'' (Fenzl) Reissek ex

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

– soap tree, red ash (

) * ''

Alphitonia ferruginea ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrub ...

'' * ''

Alphitonia franguloides ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrub ...

'' * ''

Alphitonia incana ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrub ...

'' * ''

Alphitonia macrocarpa ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrub ...

'' * ''

Alphitonia marquesensis ''Alphitonia marquesensis'' is a species of plant in the family Rhamnaceae. It is endemic to the Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both ...

'' F.Brown – ''makee'' ( Marquesas Islands) * ''

Alphitonia moluccana ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or ...

'' * ''

Alphitonia neocaledonica ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrub ...

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

* ''

Alphitonia obtusifolia ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrub ...

'' * ''

Alphitonia petriei ''Alphitonia petriei'', commonly known as the white ash, is a rainforest tree in the family Rhamnaceae from eastern and northern Australia. Other common names include red ash, white-leaf, pink almond and pink ash. It was originally collected fr ...

'' – pink ash, white ash (Australia) * ''

Alphitonia ponderosa ''Alphitonia ponderosa'' is a species of Flowering plant, flowering tree in the family Rhamnaceae, that is Endemism, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is locally known as ''kauila'', as is the related ''Colubrina oppositifolia''. Description ...

'' Hillebr. – ''kauila'' ( Hawaii) * '' Alphitonia philippinensis'' * ''

Alphitonia rubiginota ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shrub ...

'' * '' Alphitonia whitei'' – red ash (Australia) * ''

Alphitonia zizyphoides ''Alphitonia'' is a genus of arborescent flowering plants comprising about 20 species, constituting part of the buckthorn family ( Rhamnaceae). They occur in tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Oceania and Polynesia. These are large trees or shru ...

'' (Solander) A.Gray – ''toi'' ( Polynesia)

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1955527 Rhamnaceae genera