''Dinosperma'' is a genus of plant containing the single species ''Dinosperma erythrococcum'', commonly known as tingletongue, clubwood or nutmeg, and 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 els ...

to north-eastern Australia. It is a tree usually with

trifoliate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular ...

leaves arranged in opposite pairs, the leaflets lance-shaped to oblong, 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 In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is ...

s of small white flowers, later bright orange to red, slightly fleshy follicles containing shiny, bluish black seeds.

Description

''Dinosperma erythrococcum'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and is more or less

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part o ...

. It has mostly trifoliate leaves arranged in opposite pairs on a petiole long, the leaflets lance-shaped to oblong, long and wide, the side leaflets on

petiolules 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 s ...

up to long, the end leaflet on a petiolule long. The leaves have distinct but scattered oil dots. The flowers are arranged in panicles 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 ...

s are about long, the white

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

s about long, and there are eight

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s that are about the same length as the petals. Flowering mainly occurs from spring to early summer and the fruit is an elliptical, orange to red, slightly fleshy follicle long containing glossy black or bluish black seeds.

Taxonomy

In 1858,

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 Vic ...

described ''Euodia erythrococca'' and published the description in ''Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae'' from specimens collected near Wide Bay and

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

. In 1997,

Thomas Gordon Hartley Thomas Gordon Hartley (9 January 1931 in Beaumont, Texas – 8 March 2016 in Canberra, Australia) was an American botanist. Biography In 1955 Hartley graduated in botany with the academic degree Bachelor of Science at the University of Wisconsin ...

raised the genus ''Dinosperma'' in the journal ''

Adansonia ''Adansonia'' is a genus made up of eight species of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). They are placed in the Malvaceae family, subfamily Bombacoideae. They are native to Madagascar, mainland Africa, and Australia.Tropi ...

'' and transferred von Mueller's plant as ''Dinosperma erythrococcum''.

Distribution and habitat

Tingletongue grows in rainforest, often dry rainforest, at altitudes from to and occurs from the Kutini-Payamu National Park in far north Queensland to the headwaters of the

Clarence Clarence may refer to: Places Australia * Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division * Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow * Clarence River (New South Wales) * Clarence Strait (Northern Territory) * City of Clarence, a loca ...

and

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 Queens ...

s in north-eastern New South Wales.

Conservation status

This tree is listed as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government ''

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15930459, from2=Q18079413 Zanthoxyloideae Zanthoxyloideae genera Monotypic Rutaceae genera Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1858 Taxa named by Thomas Gordon Hartley Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller