''Pouteria obovata'' is a tree in the family

Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology), order Ericales. The family includes about 800 species of ev ...

. Confusingly, this is not the same plant that was formerly known by the same

scientific name 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 ...

, the Andean ''

Pouteria lucuma ''Pouteria lucuma'' is a species of tree in the family Sapotaceae, cultivated for its fruit, the lúcuma. It is native to the Andean valleys of Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Description This evergreen tree is up to 20 m tall, and has greyi ...

''. The common name in

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 ...

is the northern yellow boxwood. It occurs in many parts of south-east Asia,

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

, and on islands of the Indian Ocean, and has local common names there. The tree was first described as ''Sersalisia obovata'' by Robert Brown in his 1810 work ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

'', before being moved to its current binomial name by Baehni in 1942. The specific epithet ''obovata'' refers to the reverse ovate shape of the leaf. There is discussion whether this plant should remain named as ''Planchonella obovata'', with the Queensland herbarium supporting this. A genetic analysis of material found that material from Papua New Guinea was isolated and was a sister to a group comprising material from Australia and Indonesia. Indumentum was present on the leaf surface of the Australian and Indonesian samples, and absent in material from Papua New Guinea. ''Pouteria obovata'' grows as a bushy-crowned tree reaching a maximum height of . The leaves hairy when young, with upper surfaces becoming smooth and shiny. They are roughly oval- to spear-shaped and measure long, and wide. Appearing from August to October, the tiny greenish-white flowers grow in clusters. Flowering is followed by round red or blue berries in diameter. Each berry contains one to five seeds which are yellow when ripe. It can be grown in conditions with good drainage with sunny aspect, and can be propagated by seed. The wood is used for turning and cabinet-making. File:Chỏi ven biển.jpg File:Planchonella obovata.jpg File:山欖.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2679213 obovata Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Trees of China Flora of tropical Asia Trees of Seychelles Plants described in 1810