''Cupaniopsis wadsworthii'', sometimes commonly named duckfoot and scrub tuckeroo, is an Australian species of

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s of the

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 ...

family

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...

. The grow naturally in rainforests and seasonally dry rainforests, noted as usually "on hill slopes in rocky soil", from

Magnetic Island Magnetic Island ( Wulguru: Yunbenun) is an island offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,335 permanent residents. The island ...

southwards to about

Bulburin National Park Bulburin National Park is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 120 km south of Gladstone and 40 km south-west of Miriam Vale. Here is the largest remnant of the subtropical rainforest in central Queensland. Diversity of wildli ...

, central eastern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Description

They grow as slender shrubs up to three metres tall with a stem diameter up to . The leaves are pinnate and alternate with four or eight leaflets. The leaflets form a distinctive triangular shape, broad at the tip and terminating in a point at the petiole. In many plants, the broad apex carries two outer and one inner points, producing a pattern similar to the webbing between the toes of waterbirds, and giving rise the common name ''duckfoot''. The fruits are orange to yellow capsules with three lobes. Inside each lobe there is a glossy dark brown seed. Each seed is covered in a bright orange

aril An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...

. Fruits ripen from October to December, attracting many birds.

References

External links

Cupaniopsis wadsworthii
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5194427 wadsworthii Sapindales of Australia Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller