''Didymocheton muelleri'', the red bean or Miva mahogany, is a

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

tree in the family Meliaceae. It occurs in tropical, sub-tropical and littoral

s in eastern

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 ...

, from the

Bellinger River Bellinger River, an open and trained mature wave dominated, barrier estuary, is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Bellinger River rises below Point Lookout within the Great Dividing Ra ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in the south, to the

wet tropics The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km2 of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range. The Wet Tropics of Queensland meets all f ...

of north-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_ ...

. A signposted red bean tree may be seen near the car park of Victoria Park Nature Reserve in north-eastern New South Wales.

Description

It is a large and impressive tree, up to tall and a trunk diameter of . It is usually buttressed or flanged at the base, and the trunk is scaly and rough, grey or brown in colour. Freshly cut bark has an onion type scent.

Leaves

Leaflets are usually opposite on the stem, without serrations, and distinctly asymmetrical at the leaf base. Leaflets are long and wide, and are mid green above, paler below, and sometimes softly hairy under the leaf. ''True leaves'' are long,

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 ...

. Leaf stem swollen where joining the larger branch. Leaf venation is evident above and below, but raised and more noticeable below. Net veins easily seen. Veins creamy green, contrasting with the darker leaf colour.

Flowers and fruit

White flowers form on

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 from January to July. The fruit is a fawnish brown capsule, around in diameter. There is one reddish brown seed in each of the one to five cells. The fruit, which is bird attracting, ripens between November and March. Fresh seed is advised for regeneration.

Taxonomy

The species was first described as ''Dysoxylum muelleri'' by George Bentham in 1863. In 1994

David Mabberley Professor David John Mabberley , (born May 1948) is a British-born botanist, educator and writer. Among his varied scientific interests is the taxonomy of tropical plants, especially trees of the families Labiatae, Meliaceae and Rutaceae. He i ...

reclassified it as ''Dysoxylum mollissimum'' subsp. ''molle'', including both the Australian populations and those in Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago. A 2021 study by Holzmeyer, Hauenschild, Mabberley, ''et al.'' concluded that ''Dysoxylum'' was polyphyletic, and that the Australian population constituted a distinct species from the northern population. The species was placed in the revived genus '' Didymocheton'', with the Australian population under the new combination ''Didymocheton muelleri'', and the northern Sulawesi-to-Bismarck Archipelago population renamed '' Didymocheton mollis''. The Australian population is still widely known as ''Dysoxylum mollisimum'' subsp. ''molle''.

Conservation

This species has been assessed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Timber

The tree produces a well regarded mahogany timber, suited to cabinet work, carving and boat building. It is reddish brown and easily worked. Sapwood is creamy pink and not resistant to termites. There is concern of inhaling wood dust from this tree. Red Bean Dysoxylum mollissimum bark

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q124547321 muelleri Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Trees of Australia Endemic flora of Australia Sapindales of Australia Plants described in 1863 Taxa named by George Bentham