''Xanthostemon chrysanthus'', commonly known as golden penda, is a species of tree 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 ...

which is endemic to (found only in) north eastern Queensland, Australia. It is a popular garden plant with showy yellow blooms, and is the floral emblem of the city of

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

Description

''Xanthostemon chrysanthus'' is as a tree growing up to high, and the rough-barked trunk may be buttressed. In its preferred habitat alongside rainforest creeks, the trunk will often be gnarled and twisted. It has a dense crown, with the dark glossy green leaves clustered towards the ends of the branches. The simple (i.e. without lobes or divisions) leaves are arranged alternately or in whorls. They are generally elliptic and measure up to long by wide. The inflorescence is a terminal or axillary

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 ...

which forms dense, showy heads of golden flowers. The calyx is green with 5 lobes and is about wide; petals are yellow or yellow-green and up to long. The most conspicuous aspect of the flower is the numerous stamens, which are bright yellow and up to long, making the overall diameter of the flower about . Flowering can occur at any time of year, particularly after heavy rain events. The fruit is a woody capsule about diameter, and contains between 2 and 4 small black seeds about long. The capsule splits open at maturity and releases the seeds.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1864 by the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

Government botanist

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 ...

as ''Metrosideros chrysantha'', based on material collected 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 ...

on 12 April 1864 from Rockingham Bay in northern Queensland. In 1891 the German botanist

Otto Kuntze Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze (23 June 1843 – 27 January 1907) was a German botanist. Biography Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig. An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled ''Pocket Fauna of Leipzig''. Between 1863 and 1866 he ...

published a revision of the taxon, and gave it the new combination ''Nania chrysantha''. Finally, it was reclassified in the genus '' Xanthostemon'' by George Bentham in the third volume of his '' Flora Australiensis'' in 1867.

Etymology

The species name is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''chrysos'' "golden", and "anthos" "flower".

Distribution and habitat

The native range of the golden penda is from the Seaview Range near Ingham northwards to the area around the Pascoe River in Cape York Peninsula. It is most commonly found alongside creeks and rivers in

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

, and at altitudes from sea level to .

Ecology

The profuse flowering attracts many nectar eating birds, including rainbow lorikeets (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') and friarbirds (genus ''Philemon'').

Cultivation

''Xanthostemon chrysanthus'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant for use in gardens and park landscaping but will only reach about in height in such situations. Its horticultural appeal stems from its profuse and attractive flowering. It can be propagated by seed or cuttings but will flower sooner when grown from cuttings. It grows well in subtropical gardens with fair drainage and sunny aspect, but in cooler climates such as Sydney, the tree will not flower as profusely as it does in its native range.

Expo gold

The golden penda was selected as the theme plant for Expo 88. Cuttings of the tree were taken from a superior form from a garden in Brisbane and planted in flower in Brisbane to create a 'Sea of Gold'. In late autumn, the tree can still be seen in flower in gardens and lining streets across Brisbane.

Gallery

File:Xanthostemon_chrysanthus1.jpg, Flowers File:Xanthostemon chrysanthus fruit Kewarra 4811.jpg, Fruit, almost ready to split open File:Xanthostemon-chrysanthus-SF21101-01.jpg, On the

foreshore, with a Rainbow lorikeet feeding on the flowers File:Xanthostemon-chrysanthus-flowers.jpg, Individual flowers File:Xanthostemon-chrysanthus-fruit.jpg, Dehisced fruit

References

External links

* *
View a map
of recorded sightings of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
View observations
of this species on iNaturalist
See images
of this species on Flickriver {{Taxonbar, from=Q2005777 chrysanthus Myrtales of Australia Flora of Queensland Endemic flora of Australia Garden plants of Australia Ornamental trees Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller