''Geijera parviflora'', commonly known as wilga, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
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 inland parts of eastern Australia. It has drooping branches, linear to narrow lance-shaped leaves, small white flowers in loose

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 and spherical fruit containing a shiny black seed. Other vernacular names include Australian willow, native willow, sheepbush and dogwood.

Description

''Geijera parviflora'' is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of and has drooping branches and leaves often reaching ground level, but these are often grazed by sheep. The leaves are glossy dark green, linear to lance-shaped, long and wide on a petiole long. The leaves give off a strong smell when crushed. The flowers are arranged in loose panicles long, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

about 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 are long, the

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

s white and long. The smell of the flowers has been described as foetid, but also as citrus-scented and attracts insects. Flowering occurs from June to November and the fruit is more or less spherical, in diameter, each containing a single shiny black seed.

Taxonomy

''Geijera parviflora'' was first formally described in 1848 by English botanist

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

in Thomas Mitchell's ''Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia''. The specific epithet ''parviflora'' is from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, meaning "small flowers".

Distribution and habitat

Wilga prefers calcareous soils, either red clays or sandy soils, and grows as scattered trees in open woodland or occasionally in stands. It is mainly found in inland New South Wales and Queensland, extending into south-eastern South Australia and is rare in Victoria where it is only known from the north-west of the state, near

Kenley Kenley is an area within the London Borough of Croydon. Prior to its incorporation into Greater London in 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is situated south of Purley, east of Coulsdon, north of Caterham and Whyteleafe and w ...

Uses

Wilga is a useful shade and

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...

tree in agricultural areas. Sheep particularly enjoy grazing on the lower branches, although trees appear to vary greatly in palatability (some are eagerly sought after and others ignored). The reason for this variation is unknown, and soil composition is speculated as a cause. Despite being slow growing, it is planted in Australia and overseas as an ornamental. It prefers full sunshine, and can tolerate the occasional light frost and

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 ...

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

chewed the aromatic leaves for alleviating toothache. Regeneration from fresh seed and cuttings has proven to be difficult. It is suggested that the hard seed coat should be cracked, to assist seed germination.Growing Australian Native Plants From Seed by Murray Ralph,

Gallery

File:Wilga-Havilah2.JPG, Willowy leaves File:Geijera parviflora Wilga-Havilah1.jpg, Habit File:Wilga-Havilah3.JPG, Flower close up File:Wilga-Havilah4.JPG, Flowers attract insects

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q596715 parviflora Sapindales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of South Australia Plants described in 1848 Taxa named by John Lindley