''Austrocallerya megasperma'', one of several species commonly known as native wisteria, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a woody climber with

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 and

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s of purple, pea-like flowers.

Description

''Austrocallerya megasperma'' is a woody climber with stems up to long covered with flaky bark. Its leaves are long and pinnate with 7 to 19 oblong to egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are borne on a raceme long, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long, 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 long and the petals long. Flowering occurs from July to October and the fruit is a woody, velvety pod long and wide, containing up to 4 more or less oval seeds.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1858 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 ''Wisteria megasperma'' in his '' Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae'' from specimens he collected with

Walter Hill Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

near the Pine River. In 1994, Anne M. Schot moved the species to ''

Callerya ''Callerya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. Genetic analysis shows ''Callerya'' and ''Wisteria'' to be each other's closest relatives and quite distinct from other members of ...

'' as ''Callerya megasperma'' in the journal ''

Blumea ''Blumea'' is a genus of flowering plants of the family Asteraceae. Characteristics Genus ''Blumea'' is found in the tropical and sub-tropical zones of Asia, especially the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A few species are found in Aust ...

'' and in 2019, James A. Compton and Brian David Schrire moved it to their new genus ''Austrocallerya'' as ''Austrocallerya megasperma'', based on the plant's morphology, and nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences. The specific epithet (''megasperma'') is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

words ''megas'' "large" and ''sperma'' "seed", and refers to its large seeds.

Distribution

''Austrocallerya megasperma'' grows in rainforest on the coast and nearby ranges of south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales as far south as the

Richmond River The Richmond River is a river situated in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The river rises at the northern end of the Richmond Range, near its junction with the McPherson Range, on the Queensla ...

Ecology

This vine is a valuable indicator species as it often grows in association with the birdwing butterfly vine ('' Pararistolochia praevenosa''), one of the only food plants for the caterpillars of the rare Richmond birdwing butterfly (''

Ornithoptera richmondia ''Ornithoptera richmondia'', the Richmond birdwing, is a species of birdwing butterfly that is endemic to Australia. It is the second smallest of the birdwing species, the smallest being ''Ornithoptera meridionalis''. Distribution Historically, ...

''). ''Austrocallerya megasperma'' itself is a food plant for the caterpillars of the pencilled blue ('' Candalides absimilis'') and narrow-banded awl ('' Hasora khoda'') butterflies.

Use in horticulture

Native wisteria is described as an attractive garden plant, but one that grows very rapidly when young and needs ample room to grow, and a structure which can bear its weight. It requires good drainage. It has been successfully cultivated in Melbourne, where it took 20 years to flower.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q93953017, from2=Q2934113, from3=Q39125669 Wisterieae Vines Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Endemic flora of Australia Plants described in 1858 Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland