''Bosistoa pentacocca'', commonly known as ferny-leaf bosistoa, native almond or union nut, is a species of tree that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to eastern Australia. It has

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

leaves arranged in opposite pairs with between three and thirteen leaflets and

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

s of small flowers arranged in leaf

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s or on the ends of branches. It grows along streams in rainforest.

Description

''Bosistoa pentacocca'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of about . It has grey, blotchy and scaly bark and pinkish-red new growth. The leaves are pinnate, long on a petiole long and there are between three and thirteen elliptical to lance-shaped leaflets. The leaflets are long and wide, the side leaflets

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

or with a

petiolule In botany, the petiole () is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem, and is able to twist the leaf to face the sun. This gives a characteristic foliage arrangement to the plant. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole in som ...

up to long and the end leaflet sessile or on a petiolule up to long. The flowers are long and arranged in panicles in leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are about long and joined for most of their length, the

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s long. Flowering occurs from January to February and the fruit is a follice long and wide containing a single seed long.

Taxonomy

Ferny-leaf bosistoa was first formally described in1862 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

who gave it the name ''Euodia pentacocca'' and published the description in '' Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae''. In 1873,

Henri Ernest Baillon Henri Ernest Baillon was a French botanist and physician. He was born in Calais on 30 November 1827 and died in Paris on 19 July 1895. Baillon spent his professional life as a professor of natural history, and he published numerous works on bo ...

changed the name to ''Bosistoa pentacocca'' in his book ''Histoire des Plantes''. In 2013,

Paul Irwin Forster Paul Irwin Forster (born 1961) is an Australian botanist. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Queensland in 2004 with his thesis ''The pursuit of plants : studies on the systematics, ecology and chemistry of the vascular flora of A ...

describe two subspecies and the names have been accepted by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

: * ''Bosistoa pentacocca'' subsp. ''connaricarpa''

Domin Karel Domin (4 May 1882, Kutná Hora, Kingdom of Bohemia – 10 June 1953, Prague) was a Czech botanist and politician. After gymnasium school studies in Příbram, he studied botany at the Charles University in Prague, and graduated in 1906 ...

P.I.Forst. Paul Irwin Forster (born 1961) is an Australian botanist. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Queensland in 2004 with his thesis ''The pursuit of plants : studies on the systematics, ecology and chemistry of the vascular flora of A ...

that has leaves with between three and five, rarely seven leaflets; * ''Bosistoa pentacocca'' (F.Muell.) Baill. subsp. ''pentacocca'' that has leaves with between seven and thirteen leaflets.

Distribution and habitat

''Bosistoa pentacocca'' grows along streams in rainforest, often dry rainforest and occurs between

Bowen Bowen may refer to: Places Australia * Bowen, Queensland, a town * Bowen Hills, Queensland, a suburb ** Bowen Hills railway station, a railway station in Bowen Hills ** Bowen Park, Brisbane, a park in Bowen Hills * Bowen Bridge, crossing the Derw ...

in eastern-central Queensland and the Clarence River in north-eastern New South Wales. Subspecies ''connaricarpa'' has a more limited distribution between Dryander and

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15389284 pentacocca Sapindales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1862 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller