''Angophora'' is a genus of nine species of trees and shrubs 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 sp ...
.
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 else ...
to eastern Australia, they differ from other
eucalypts in having juvenile and adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs,
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 coine ...
s reduced to projections on the edge of the
floral cup, four or five overlapping, more or less round
petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...
s, and a papery or thin, woody, often strongly ribbed
capsule. Species are found between the
Atherton Tableland
The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia.
The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tina ...
in Queensland and south through New South Wales to eastern Victoria, Australia.
Description
Plants in the genus ''Angophora'' are trees, occasionally shrubs, with rough bark except for ''
A. costata''. The juvenile leaves differ from adult leaves in being hairy with raised oil
glands
In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream ( endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface ( exocrine gland).
Structure
...
. Both juvenile and adult leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, the adult leaves usually
glabrous and paler on the lower surface. The flower buds are arranged in groups of three or seven. The flower has four or five small sepals, reduced to small projections on the rim of the floral cup. There are four or five more or less round, keeled, overlapping petals and
whorls of many creamy white
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the fila ...
s. Unlike in ''
Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as ...
'' and ''
Corymbia'', the petals and sepals are not fused to form a cap-like
operculum. The fruit is a papery or thin, slightly woody, hairy capsule with longitudinal ribs.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Angophora'' was first formally described in 1797 by
Antonio José Cavanilles in his book ''Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum''.
''Angophora'' is closely related to ''
Corymbia'' and ''
Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as ...
'', and all three genera are often referred to as "eucalypts". Collectively the eucalypts dominate many Australian
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...
s.
[''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'' and ''Angophora'' – Background.]
Australian Native Plants Society. Taxonomists
In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are given ...
have long recognised the relationships between the eucalypt taxa, but have not agreed upon a classification scheme. Some have proposed merging ''Angophora'' and ''Corymbia'' into genus ''Eucalyptus'' as
subgenera
In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between ...
, a plan which was immediately rejected by others. Some authors maintain ''Angophora'' as a genus, while others continue to debate the issue.
[Nelson, G., et al. (2003)]
Brummitt on paraphyly: a response.
''Taxon'' 52(2), 295-98.
Among the eucalypts, ''Angophora'' species were nicknamed "apples" by European settlers, who thought they resembled
apple trees.
[ Many are still known commonly as apples today.][
]
Species
The following is a list species of accepted by the Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...
as at March 2020:Angophora costata
''Angophora costata'', commonly known as Sydney red gum, rusty gum or smooth-barked apple, is a species of tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. Reaching in height, the species has distinctive smooth bark that is pinkish or orange-brown wh ...
'' ( Gaertn.) Britten – Qld, NSW
** ''Angophora costata'' (Gaertn.) Britten subsp. ''costata'' – Qld, NSW
** ''Angophora costata'' subsp. ''euryphylla'' L.A.S.Johnson ex G.J.Leach – NSW
* '' Angophora floribunda'' (Sm.
__NOTOC__
Sir James Edward Smith (2 December 1759 – 17 March 1828) was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.
Early life and education
Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a ...
) Sweet - Qld, NSW, Vic.
* ''Angophora hispida
''Angophora hispida'' grows as a mallee, or as a tree to about 7 m (25 ft) in height.
''A. hispidas small size, especially when compared to its ''Angophora'' and ''Eucalyptus'' relatives, leads to it being known by the common name dwa ...
'' (Sm.) Blaxell - NSW
* '' Angophora inopina'' K.D.Hill - NSW
* ''Angophora leiocarpa
''Angophora leiocarpa'', commonly known as rusty gum, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has smooth bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds usually in groups of thr ...
'' (L.A.S.Johnson ex G.J.Leach) K.R.Thiele
Kevin R. Thiele is currently an adjunct associate professor at the University of Western Australia and the director of Taxonomy Australia. He was the curator of the Western Australian Herbarium from 2006 to 2015. His research interests includ ...
& Ladiges - NSW, Qld.
* '' Angophora melanoxylon'' R.T.Baker - Qld., NSW
* '' Angophora robur'' L.A.SJohnson & K.D.Hill - NSW
* '' Angophora subvelutina'' F.Muell.
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 Victo ...
- NSW
* ''Angophora woodsiana
''Angophora woodsiana'', commonly known as smudgee, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three ...
'' F.M.Bailey
Frederick Manson Bailey (8 March 1827 – 25 June 1915) was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland. He was known by his middle name, Manson.
Early life
Bailey was b ...
- Qld., NSW
Distribution
Angophoras are found in coastal Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria from the Atherton Tableland to eastern Victoria.
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1904772
Endemic flora of Australia
Myrtaceae genera
Taxa named by Antonio José Cavanilles