''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 ...

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to eastern Australia, they differ from other

eucalypt Eucalypt is any woody plant with Capsule (fruit), capsule fruiting bodies belonging to one of seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

s 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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

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 form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

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. It has very deep, rich basaltic soils and the main industry is agriculture. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the B ...

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 A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...

. Both juvenile and adult leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, the adult leaves usually

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

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 A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagram ...

of many creamy white

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. Unlike in ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

'' and ''

Corymbia ''Corymbia'', commonly known as bloodwoods, is a genus of about one hundred species of tree that, along with ''Eucalyptus'', '' Angophora'' and several smaller groups, are referred to as eucalypts. Until 1990, corymbias were included in the g ...

'', 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 Antonio José Cavanilles (16 January 1745 – 5 May 1804) was a leading Spanish taxonomic botanist, artist and one of the most important figures in the 18th century period of Enlightenment in Spain. Cavanilles is most famous for his 2-vol ...

in his book ''Icones et Descriptiones Plantarum''. ''Angophora'' is closely related to ''

'' and ''

'', and all three genera are often referred to as "eucalypts". Collectively the eucalypts dominate many Australian

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

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 ( 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 the ge ...

, 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 An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

. 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 Sys ...

as at March 2020: * ''

Angophora bakeri ''Angophora bakeri'', commonly known as the narrow-leaved apple, is a species of tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, w ...

'' E.C.Hall - NSW ** ''Angophora bakeri'' E.C.Hall subsp. ''bakeri'' - NSW ** ''Angophora bakeri'' subsp. ''crassifolia'' G.J.Leach - NSW * ''

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 Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

– 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 ''Angophora floribunda'', commonly known as the rough-barked apple, is a common woodland and forest tree of the family Myrtaceae native to Eastern Australia. Reaching 30 m (100 ft) high, it is a large tree with fibrous bark and cream-wh ...

'' (

Sm. 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 started studying botan ...

)

Sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...

- Qld, NSW, Vic. * ''

Angophora hispida ''Angophora hispida'' grows as a mallee, or as a tree to about in height. Its small size, especially when compared to its ''Angophora'' and ''Eucalyptus'' relatives, leads to it being known by the common name dwarf apple. It is native to a rel ...

'' (Sm.) Blaxell - NSW * ''

Angophora inopina ''Angophora inopina'', commonly known as the Charmhaven apple, is a species of small, often multi-stemmed tree that is endemic to the Central Coast of New South Wales. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped adult leaves, flowe ...

'' 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 thre ...

'' (L.A.S.Johnson ex G.J.Leach) K.R.Thiele & Ladiges - NSW, Qld. * ''

Angophora melanoxylon ''Angophora melanoxylon'', commonly known as Coolabah apple, is a species of small to medium-sized tree that is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and branches, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult lea ...

'' R.T.Baker - Qld., NSW * ''

Angophora robur ''Angophora robur'', commonly known as the sandstone rough-barked apple or the broad-leaved sandstone apple, is a species of small tree that is Endemism, endemic to a small area in New South Wales. It has rough, fibrous bark on the trunk and bran ...

'' L.A.SJohnson & K.D.Hill - NSW * ''

Angophora subvelutina ''Angophora subvelutina'', commonly known as the broad-leaved apple, is a species of tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has rough bark on the trunk and branches, lance-shaped to egg-shaped or elliptical adult leaves, flower buds in ...

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 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 Victoria (state), Vic ...

- 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 bo ...

- Qld., NSW

Distribution

Angophoras are found in coastal Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria from the Atherton Tableland to eastern Victoria. Angophora hispida DSC 7157 (11023015645).jpg , '' A. hispida'' buds & flowers Angophora hispida DSC 6592 (33368522242).jpg, '' A. hispida'' fruit Angophora hispida Angophora hispida new growth IMG 5611 (1867066136).jpg, '' A. hispida''

lignotuber A lignotuber is a woody swelling of the root crown possessed by some plants as a protection against destruction of the plant stem, such as by fire. Other woody plants may develop basal burls as a similar survival strategy, often as a respons ...

regrowth after fire Angophora hispida DSC 4503 (27666550975).jpg, '' A. hispida'' opposite and decussate leaves

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1904772 Endemic flora of Australia Myrtaceae genera Taxa named by Antonio José Cavanilles Myrtales of Australia