''Celtis conferta'' subsp. ''amblyphylla'', commonly known as cotton wood or cotton-wood, is a
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 ...
in the
hemp and hackberry family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
.
Description
It is a tree growing to in height, with whitish bark. The thick, leathery, oval
leaves are long, wide. Clusters of small flowers, long, appear from November to February. The round, purple fruits are 4 mm in diameter.
Distribution and habitat
The subspecies 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 else ...
to
Australia's
subtropical Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...
in the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea ( Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer ...
. There it is widespread in lowland forest. The only other subspecies,
''C. c.'' subsp. ''conferta'', is endemic to
New Caledonia.
[
]
References
External links
*
conferta subsp. amblyphylla
Endemic flora of Lord Howe Island
Plants described in 1875
Rosales of Australia
Plant subspecies
Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller
{{Australia-rosid-stub