![Flindersia braylelana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Flindersia_braylelana.jpg)
''Flindersia brayleyana'', commonly known as Queensland maple, maple silkwood or red beech,
is a species of tree in the family
Rutaceae
The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rue[RUTACEAE](_blank)
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...
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 elsew ...
to northern Queensland. It has
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 ...
leaves with between six and ten leaflets,
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 of white or cream-coloured flowers and smooth fruit that opens in five sections to release winged seeds.
Description
''Flindersia brayleyana'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of . It has pinnate leaves arranged in more or less opposite pairs with between six and ten egg-shaped to elliptical leaflets that are long and wide on
petiolules long. The leaves have many conspicuous 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 b ...
s about long and the petals white or cream-coloured, long. The fruit is a smooth, woody
capsule long that splits into five at maturity, releasing seeds long.
Taxonomy
''Flindersia brayleyana'' was first formally described in 1866 by
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 Vict ...
in ''
Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae'' from specimens collected near the
Herbert River
The Herbert River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The southernmost of Queensland's wet tropics river systems, it was named in 1864 by George Elphinstone Dalrymple explorer, after Robert George Wyndham Herbert, the first ...
by
John Dallachy
John Dallachy (c. 1808 – 4 June 1871) was a curator of Melbourne Botanic Gardens and a plant collector.
Dallachy was born in Elginshire, Scotland. He worked as a gardener for the Earl of Aberdeen and Kew Gardens. In 1847, he went to Ceylon to ma ...
.
The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
(''brayleyana'') honours
Edward William Brayley
Edward William Brayley FRS (1801 – 1 February 1870) was an English geographer, librarian, and science author.
Early life
Brayley was born in London, the son of Edward Wedlake Brayley, a notable antiquary, and his wife Anne (''c.'' 1771– ...
.
Distribution and habitat
Queensland maple grows in rainforest at altitudes between between the
Daintree River
The Daintree River is a river that rises in the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. The river is located about northwest of Cairns in the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Wet Tropics of Queensland. The area ...
and
Rockingham Bay
Rockingham Bay is a bay in Far North Queensland, Australia.
The bay opens onto the Coral Sea, part of the South Pacific Ocean. Adjacent to the bay is the Girramay National Park, south of which is the town of Cardwell. Goold Island is a smal ...
.
Conservation status
''Flindersia brayleyana'' is classified 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 ...
''.
Uses
Queensland maple produces a good quality, decorative cabinet timber and has been used in the manufacture of propellers and plywood in
Mosquito bomber
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden ...
aircraft and in acoustic guitars. However most specimens are protected in
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
areas, the timber is now in very short supply, and attempts to grow the tree in plantations have failed. Its heartwood is pink to brownish pink whilst the narrow sapwood band is white to pale grey.
References
External links
*
''Flindersia brayleyana'': Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5459437
brayleyana
Flora of Queensland
Sapindales of Australia
Trees of Australia
Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller
Plants described in 1866