''Endiandra'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of about 126 species of plants, mainly
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s, in the laurel family
Lauraceae. They are commonly called "walnut" despite not being related to the Northern Hemisphere walnuts (''
Juglans
Walnut trees are any species of tree in the plant genus ''Juglans'', the type genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are referred to as walnuts. All species are deciduous trees, tall, with pinnate leaves , with 5–25 leaflets ...
'' spp.) which are in the family
Juglandaceae
The Juglandaceae are a plant family known as the walnut family. They are trees, or sometimes shrubs, in the order Fagales. Members of this family are native to the Americas, Eurasia, and Southeast Asia.
The nine or ten genera in the family have ...
.
Ecology
Shrubs and trees with lauroid leaves mostly, with bisexual flowers, usually with a large edible berry ovoid or globose, and seated directly on the pedicel. The seeds are dispersed by animals and birds. They have a broad distribution across South East
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Australia and into the western
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
.
Endiandra is a genus of
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s belonging to the Laurel family,
Lauraceae.
Fossils show that before
glaciation
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...
s, when the climate was more humid and mild, species were distributed more widely. They are distributed in Asia, from India to Indochina, China, Malaysia, Australia, and Pacific islands, with 38 species endemic to Australia.
In Australia, they are often used as screen trees due to the thick foliage of a number of their species. Quite a few of the Australian species are rare, such as ''
Endiandra globosa
''Endiandra globosa'' is a medium-sized Australian rainforest tree. Despite the common name of black walnut, this tree is unrelated to northern hemisphere walnuts, and is a Laurel.
The black walnut is restricted to riverine rainforest. Growi ...
'',
''Endiandra muelleri'' subsp. ''bracteata'' and ''
Endiandra floydii
''Endiandra floydii'' is a small-sized rainforest tree. Despite its common name, Crystal Creek walnut, this tree is unrelated to northern-hemisphere walnuts, and is a laurel. It is named after the Australian botanist, Alexander Floyd.
Habit ...
''.
The drying of the area during the glaciations caused that Endiandra to retreat to the mildest climate refuges, including Oceanic and southern islands and wetter mountain area. With the end of the
last glacial period, Endiandra recovered some of its former range. They are mostly
relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.
Biology
A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas.
Geology and geomorphology
In geology, a r ...
s of a type of
vegetation
Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...
disappeared, which originally covered much of the mainland of
Australia, South America, Antarctica, South Africa, North America and other lands when their
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
were more
humid and warm. Although warm
Cloud forests disappeared during the glaciations, they re-colonized large areas every time the weather was favorable again. Most of the Cloud forests are believed to have retreated and advanced during successive geological eras, and their species adapted to warm and wet gradually retreated and advanced, replaced by more
cold
Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...
-tolerant or
drought
A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
-tolerant
sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or oblique to direct ...
plant communities. Many of the then existing species became extinct because they could not cross the barriers posed by new oceans, mountains and deserts, but others found refuge as species relict in coastal areas and Islands.
Some species are well adapted to Tropical dry or deciduous forests, including
Monsoon forest
Seasonal tropical forest, also known as moist deciduous, semi-evergreen seasonal, tropical mixed or monsoon forests, typically contain a range of tree species: only some of which drop some or all of their leaves during the dry season. This tropic ...
s and
Dry Monsoon forest
Dry or dryness most often refers to:
* Lack of rainfall, which may refer to
**Arid regions
**Drought
* Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages
* Dry humor, deadpan
* Dryness (medical)
...
.
Some Endiandra present a
convergent evolution
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last com ...
due to ecological or physical drivers toward a similar solution, including
analogous structures
Convergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different periods or epochs in time. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last co ...
with species adapted to different environments, for example with plants adapted to
Laurel forest habitat. These ''Endiandra'' resemble other genera in the family
Lauraceae, and their leaves are lauroid type with berries eaten and dispersed mostly by birds. Others are even adapted to very wet media.
Some species are endangered and others have a very specialized ecological niche and consequently occupy small or specific areas. Although the majority of the species are the products of
parapatric speciation
In parapatric speciation, two subpopulations of a species evolve reproductive isolation from one another while continuing to exchange genes. This mode of speciation has three distinguishing characteristics: 1) mating occurs non-randomly, 2) gene ...
, some groups have an ancient
Gondwanan distribution and some groups responded to favourable climatic periods as opportunistic species and expanded across the available habitat, these last groups occur across wide distribution with close relatives and few species, indicating the recent divergence of these species.
Many species are having edible fruits. Some birds and bats that are specialised frugivores tend to eat the whole fruit and regurgitate seeds intact, which functions for
Biological dispersal. Others swallow the fruit and pass the seed intact through the gut. An incomplete list of birds that rely heavily on the fruit for their diet include members of the families
Cotingidae,
Columbidae
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
,
Trogonidae
The trogons and quetzals are birds in the order Trogoniformes which contains only one family, the Trogonidae. The family Trogonidae contains 46 species in seven genera. The fossil record of the trogons dates back 49 million years to the Early E ...
,
Turdidae
The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World fl ...
, and
Toucan
Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...
. The fruits are an important food source for
Palaeognathae highly dependent.
Seed dispersal
In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant.
Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors ...
of various species in the genus is also carried out by
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...
es and big and small mammals as
Pachyderms
Pachydermata (meaning 'thick skin', from the Greek grc, παχύς, pachys, thick, label=none, and grc, δέρμα, derma, skin, label=none) is an obsolete order of mammals described by Gottlieb Storr, Georges Cuvier, and others, at one time re ...
,
Bovid
The Bovidae comprise the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, bison, buffalo, antelopes, and caprines. A member of this family is called a bovid. With 143 extant species and 300 known extinct species, ...
s,
monkeys,
arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
s,
porcupines, or
possums
Possum may refer to:
Animals
* Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi
** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban a ...
.
Species
There were 126 accepted species as of May 2021.
These are:
*''
Endiandra acuminata''
*''
Endiandra aggregata''
*''
Endiandra albiramea''
*''
Endiandra aneityensis
''Endiandra'' is a genus of about 126 species of plants, mainly trees, in the laurel family Lauraceae. They are commonly called "walnut" despite not being related to the Northern Hemisphere walnuts (''Juglans'' spp.) which are in the family Jug ...
''
*''
Endiandra anthropophagorum''
*''
Endiandra archboldiana''
*''
Endiandra areolata''
*''
Endiandra arfakensis
''Endiandra'' is a genus of about 126 species of plants, mainly trees, in the laurel family Lauraceae. They are commonly called "walnut" despite not being related to the Northern Hemisphere walnuts (''Juglans'' spp.) which are in the family Jug ...
''
*''
Endiandra asymmerrica''
*''
Endiandra baillonii''
*''
Endiandra beccariana''
*''
Endiandra bellendenkerana''
*''
Endiandra bessaphila''
*''
Endiandra brassii''
*''
Endiandra bullata''
*''
Endiandra carrii''
*''
Endiandra chartacea''
*''
Endiandra clavigera''
*''
Endiandra clemensii''
*''
Endiandra collinsii''
*''
Endiandra compressa'' –
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 ...
&
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
, establishe ...
,
Australia
*''
Endiandra cooperana''
*''
Endiandra coriacea''
*''
Endiandra cowleyana''
*''
Endiandra crassiflora''
*''
Endiandra cuneata''
*''
Endiandra cyphellophora''
*''
Endiandra dichrophylla''
*''
Endiandra dielsiana''
*''
Endiandra discolor'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra djamuensis''
*''
Endiandra dolichocarpa''
*''
Endiandra elaeocarpa''
*''
Endiandra elongata''
*''
Endiandra engleriana''
*''
Endiandra euadenia''
*''
Endiandra eusideroxylocarpa''
*''
Endiandra faceta''
*''
Endiandra ferruginea''
*''
Endiandra firma''
*''
Endiandra flavinervis''
*''
Endiandra floydii
''Endiandra floydii'' is a small-sized rainforest tree. Despite its common name, Crystal Creek walnut, this tree is unrelated to northern-hemisphere walnuts, and is a laurel. It is named after the Australian botanist, Alexander Floyd.
Habit ...
'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra forbesii''
*''
Endiandra formicaria''
*''
Endiandra fulva''
*''
Endiandra gem''
*''
Endiandra gemopsis''
*''
Endiandra gillespiei''
*''
Endiandra glauca''
*''
Endiandra globosa
''Endiandra globosa'' is a medium-sized Australian rainforest tree. Despite the common name of black walnut, this tree is unrelated to northern hemisphere walnuts, and is a Laurel.
The black walnut is restricted to riverine rainforest. Growi ...
'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra grandifolia''
*''
Endiandra grayi''
*''
Endiandra hainanensis''
*''
Endiandra havelii''
*''
Endiandra hayesii
''Endiandra hayesii'' is an Australian rainforest tree. Despite the common name of rusty rose walnut, this tree is unrelated to northern hemisphere walnuts, and is a laurel. The former habitat is lowland sub tropical rainforest, most of which h ...
'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra holttumii''
*''
Endiandra hypotephra
''Endiandra hypotephra'', commonly known as blue walnut or northern rose walnut, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lauraceae. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia.
References
Endiandra, hypotephra
Flora of Queensland
Taxa ...
'' – Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra immersa''
*''
Endiandra impressicosta''
*''
Endiandra insignis''
*''
Endiandra introrsa'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra invasiorum''
*''
Endiandra javanica''
*''
Endiandra jonesii''
*''
Endiandra kingiana''
*''
Endiandra lanata''
*''
Endiandra latifolia''
*''
Endiandra laxiflora''
*''
Endiandra lecardii''
*''
Endiandra ledermannii''
*''
Endiandra leptodendron''
*''
Endiandra limnophila''
*''
Endiandra longipedicellata''
*''
Endiandra luteola''
*''
Endiandra macrophylla''
*''
Endiandra macrostemon''
*''
Endiandra magnilimba''
*''
Endiandra maingayi''
*''
Endiandra merrillii''
*''
Endiandra microneura''
*''
Endiandra microphylla
''Endiandra'' is a genus of about 126 species of plants, mainly trees, in the laurel family Lauraceae. They are commonly called "walnut" despite not being related to the Northern Hemisphere walnuts (''Juglans'' spp.) which are in the family Jug ...
''
*''
Endiandra minutiflora''
*''
Endiandra × monothyra''
*''
Endiandra montana''
*''
Endiandra monticola''
*''
Endiandra muelleri'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra multiflora''
*''
Endiandra neocaledonica
''Endiandra'' is a genus of about 126 species of plants, mainly trees, in the laurel family Lauraceae. They are commonly called "walnut" despite not being related to the Northern Hemisphere walnuts (''Juglans'' spp.) which are in the family Jug ...
''
*''
Endiandra oblonga''
*''
Endiandra ochracea''
*''
Endiandra oviformis''
*''
Endiandra palmerstonii
''Endiandra palmerstonii'', popularly known as Queensland walnut or black walnut, is a rainforest tree of northern Queensland. It was named after the Australian prospector Christie Palmerston.
Queensland walnut has been used as a furniture timbe ...
''
*''
Endiandra papuana''
*''
Endiandra phaeocarpa''
*''
Endiandra pilosa''
*''
Endiandra polyneura''
*''
Endiandra poueboensis''
*''
Endiandra praeclara''
*''
Endiandra pubens'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra recurva''
*''
Endiandra reticulata''
*''
Endiandra rhizophoretum''
*''
Endiandra rigidior''
*''
Endiandra rubescens''
*''
Endiandra sankeyana''
*''
Endiandra schlechteri''
*''
Endiandra scrobiculata''
*''
Endiandra sebertii''
*''
Endiandra sericea''
*''
Endiandra sideroxylon''
*''
Endiandra sieberi
''Endiandra sieberi'', known as the corkwood is a rainforest tree growing in eastern Australia.
Habitat
A common tree on lowland and some mountain rainforests. Very common on sand in littoral rainforests. The corky bark assists in protectio ...
'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra sleumeri''
*''
Endiandra solomonensis''
*''
Endiandra spathulata''
*''
Endiandra sphaerica''
*''
Endiandra sulavesiana''
*''
Endiandra teschneri''
*''
Endiandra teschneriana''
*''
Endiandra trichotosa
''Endiandra'' is a genus of about 126 species of plants, mainly trees, in the laurel family Lauraceae. They are commonly called "walnut" despite not being related to the Northern Hemisphere walnuts (''Juglans'' spp.) which are in the family Jug ...
''
*''
Endiandra tryphera''
*''
Endiandra versteeghii''
*''
Endiandra virens'' – New South Wales & Queensland, Australia
*''
Endiandra whitmorei''
*''
Endiandra wolfei''
*''
Endiandra wongawallanensis''
*''
Endiandra wrayi''
*''
Endiandra xanthocarpa''
*''
Endiandra xylophylla''
File:Endiandra muelleri bracteata base.jpg, Endiandra muelleri bracteata trunk
File:Endiandra muelleri ssp bracteata leaves.jpg, Endiandra muelleri bracteata leaves
File:Endiandra globosa drupe.jpg, Large fruit of ''Endiandra globosa
''Endiandra globosa'' is a medium-sized Australian rainforest tree. Despite the common name of black walnut, this tree is unrelated to northern hemisphere walnuts, and is a Laurel.
The black walnut is restricted to riverine rainforest. Growi ...
''
File:Endiandra introrsa small tree.jpg, Small tree of Endiandra introrsa
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5222137
Lauraceae genera
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Laurales of Australia