![Cedrela toona00](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Cedrela_toona00.jpg)
''Toona ciliata'' is a
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
tree in the
mahogany family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
which grows throughout southern
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
from
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
to
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
and
Australia.
Names
It is commonly known as the red cedar (a name shared by other trees), toon or toona (also applied to other members of the genus ''
Toona
''Toona'', commonly known as redcedar, toon (also spelled tun) or toona, tooni (in India) is a genus in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, native from Afghanistan south to India, and east to North Korea, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia. In ol ...
''), Australian red cedar, Burma cedar, Indian cedar, Moulmein cedar or the Queensland red cedar. It is also known as Indian mahogany.
Indigenous Australian
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 ...
names include Polai in the
Illawarra
The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...
. Woolia on the
Richmond River
The Richmond River is a river situated in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
The river rises at the northern end of the Richmond Range, near its junction with the McPherson Range, on the Queensl ...
, Mamin & Mugurpul near
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
, and Woota at
Wide Bay. Also called Ai saria in
Timor-Leste
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...
.
Description
The tree has extended
compound leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
up to 90 cm with 10-14 pairs of leaflets which are narrow and taper towards the tip. Each leaflet is between 4.5 and 16 cm long. The species can grow to around in height and its trunk can reach in girth with large branches that create a spreading crown. It is one of Australia's few native
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
trees, with the leaves falling in autumn (late March) and growing back in spring (early September). The new leaf growth is reddish pink in colour.
The tree produces masses of white flowers that are very small, white and tubular in shape. The fruits are green capsules which senesces to a brown colour and tear open into star shape to release seeds, which are small and winged.
Habitat
In Australia, the tree's natural habitat is
subtropical forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, much of which has been extensively cleared. The Australian population was formerly treated as a distinct
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
under the name ''Toona australis''. The southernmost limit of natural distribution is on basaltic soils, growing west of the
Princes Highway near the village of
Termeil, south of
Ulladulla, southern
Illawarra
The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...
, New South Wales. It also occurs naturally at
Norfolk Island.
The largest recorded ''T. ciliata'' tree in Australia grew near Nulla Nulla Creek, west of
Kempsey, New South Wales and was felled in 1883.
It grows best in an environment with high light levels, however in the relative darkness of the rainforest understorey, it is less susceptible to attack by the
cedar tip moth. The cedar tip moth lays its eggs on the tree's leading shoot, allowing the larvae to burrow into the stem. This causes dieback and a multi-branched tree with little commercial value.
The tree exudes a chemical that the female cedar tip moth seeks out. This moth does not attack commercial plantings of Asian/African/Australian native meliaceas in South America. As a result, successful planting of ''Toona ciliata'' is being observed in many parts of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, including genetic improvement and clonal production.
Uses
The timber is red in colour, easy to work and very highly valued. It was used extensively for furniture, wood panelling and construction, including shipbuilding, and was referred to as "red gold" by Australian settlers. Heavily and unsustainably exploited in the 19th and early 20th centuries, almost all the large trees have been cut out and the species is essentially commercially extinct. Availability of this timber is now limited.
Timber is currently also harvested in New Guinea. Although it is not generally a viable plantation species, trees are regularly harvested by Forestry in the
Atherton region of Queensland.
Other areas
The red cedar is widely planted in subtropical and tropical parts of the world as a shade tree and for its fast-growing aspect. It is grown in the
Hawaiian Islands of the United States, and southern and eastern Africa. In parts of
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, it has naturalised; growing to maturity and spreading from seed.
Reproduction and dispersal
''Toona ciliata'' reproduces by seed. It is a prolific seed producer and establishes readily.
Jagdev Saw Mills
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Gallery
Image:Toona ciliata - capsules and seeds.jpg, ''Toona ciliata'' - capsules and seeds
Image:Toona ciliata - germinating seeds.jpg, ''Toona ciliata'' - germinating seeds
Image:Toona ciliata - seedlings.jpg, ''Toona ciliata'' - seedlings
Image:Toona ciliata - red leaves.JPG, ''Toona ciliata'' - red leaves
Image:ToonaciliataMtKeiraSept24-00.jpg, ''Toona ciliata'' - red leaves in September, Mount Keira
Mount Keira () is a suburb and mountain in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.
Mount Keira is a site of significant cultural heritage for the Wodi Wodi people. The name Mount Keira derives from the Wodi Wodi name for the mounta ...
, Illawarra
The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...
, NSW
Image:Toona ciliata Bark.jpg, ''Toona ciliata'' bark, tree near Macksville, New South Wales, Australia
Image:Toona ciliata, Long Gully.jpg, Stand of approximately 10 mature ''Toona ciliata'', south of Drake, New South Wales
Drake is a parish and small rural community on the Bruxner Highway approximately 44 km east of Tenterfield, New South Wales and about 800 km north of Sydney, New South Wales. It is in the Tenterfield Shire local government area, whic ...
, a rare sighting in this area
Image:2yearoldredcedar.jpg, Two-year-old red cedar, growing in a backyard, Casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
, Australia
Image:Toona_ciliata_var._pubescens.jpg, A 60-year-old ''Toona ciliata'' var. ''pubescens'' in Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...
, China
Image:Toona ciliata Tamban State Forest.jpg, A stand of ''Toona ciliata'' near Kempsey, New South Wales
Image:Toona ciliata Barrington 40 metres.jpg, 40-metre ''Toona ciliata'', leafless in August, with epiphytic
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
''Dendrobium
''Dendrobium'' is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asi ...
'' orchids at Barrington Tops
Barrington Tops is part of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia, between Gloucester and Scone.
In 1934, the area was difficult to access and was described as being "not traceable to any man-made feature".
Part of the area has ...
, Australia
Image:Cedro bv 9 anos.jpg, Eight-year-old seedling-planted ''Toona ciliata'', Campo Belo, southeast Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
Image:CEDRO 5 ANOS BV.jpg, Four-year-old - 17 meter cloned ''Toona ciliata'', Campo Belo, southeast Brazil
Image:Viveiro clonal de cedro australiano.jpg, Clones production ''Toona ciliata'', Campo Belo, southeast Brazil
See also
* Cedar wood
Cedar is part of the English common name of many trees and other plants, particularly those of the genus ''Cedrus''.
Some botanical authorities consider the Old-World ''Cedrus'' the only "true cedars". Many other species worldwide with similarl ...
* Macleay River
The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River r ...
* '' Toona sureni''
References
External links
Australian timbers
National Register of Big Trees
Distribution Map
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2739400
ciliata
Sapindales of Australia
Trees of Australia
Least concern flora of Australia
Least concern biota of Queensland
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Flora of Norfolk Island
Trees of New Guinea
Trees of the Indian subcontinent
Trees of Indo-China
Trees of Malesia