''Lophostemon'' ('lophos' - crest, 'stemon' - stamen) is a genus of 4 species 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, which ...

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 ...

in the myrtle family

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...

. All four species are native to

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 ...

, with one extending to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The genus was first described in 1830 but not widely recognized until the 1980s. All 4 species were previously included in the related genus '' Tristania''. The most well-known species, ''L. confertus'' is a familiar tree to many people living along the east coast of Australia, where it known colloquially as the brush box. Quite frequently, it has been planted as a street tree, a role it isn't suited for as it grows to 30 metres in height and quite often suffers lopping due to obstructing overhead power lines. ''Lophostemon'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including ''

Aenetus ligniveren ''Aenetus ligniveren'', the common splendid ghost moth, is a moth in the family Hepialidae. It is found from southern Queensland to Tasmania. The wingspan is 50 mm for males and 70 mm for females. Adult males have green forewings with ...

''. ;Species # ''

Lophostemon confertus ''Lophostemon confertus'' (syn. ''Tristania conferta''), is an evergreen tree native to Australia, though it is cultivated in the United States and elsewhere. Common names include brush box, Queensland box, Brisbane box, pink box, box scrub, and ...

'' (R.Br.) Peter G.Wilson & J.T.Waterh. - (Brush Box, Queensland Box, Brisbane Box) Queensland, New South Wales # ''

Lophostemon grandiflorus ''Lophostemon grandiflorus'' is a member of the family Myrtaceae endemic to Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. The tree typically grows to a height of . It blooms between January to December producing cream-white flowers. ...

'' (Benth.) Peter G.Wilson & J.T.Waterh. - (Northern Swamp Box) Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia # ''

Lophostemon lactifluus ''Lophostemon lactifluus'', commonly known as swamp mahogany or milky box, is a tree or shrub of the family Myrtaceae native to northern Australia. References Myrtaceae Myrtales of Australia Plants described in 1859 Taxa named by Ferd ...

'' (F.Muell.) Peter G.Wilson & J.T.Waterh. - (Milky Box) Northern Territory, Western Australia # ''

Lophostemon suaveolens ''Lophostemon suaveolens'' is a tree species, also known as swamp mahogany, swamp box or swamp turpentine, of the botanical family Myrtaceae. It grows to a medium-sized tree, native in Australia and New Guinea. In Australia, botanical sources ...

'' (Sol. ex Gaertn.) Peter G.Wilson & J.T.Waterh. - (Swamp Mahogany, Swamp Turpentine, Swamp Box) Queensland, New South Wales, New Guinea

References

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae genera Myrtales of Australia {{Australia-rosid-stub