Corynocarpus Rupestris
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''Corynocarpus rupestris'', commonly known as the Glenugie karaka, is a
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
tree found in eastern
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. It is a rare plant with a ROTAP rating of 2VC-t. There are two sub-species; ''arborescens'' is a small hairless shrub or tree up to tall with a stem diameter up to , and sub-species ''rupestris'' grows only to , with a stem diameter up to .


Description

''Corynocarpus rupestris'' is a small, dense, bushy tree or tall
shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...
of 2–5 m, or a leafy
canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
tree that grows to a height of 13 m with erect or spreading branches. As a shrub, its trunk is usually multi-stemmed and has a smooth, semi-corky bark with broad, shallow fissures. Branchlets with prominent scars form scale
leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...
. The thick, stiff, glossy, leathery, and smooth leaves are dark green above and paler beneath, 5–18 cm long and 3–7 cm wide. Leaves usually alternate in three whorls on juvenile plants and are oval, teardrop-shaped, or lance-shaped. The scale leaves of 2–3 mm long are glossy. Leaves on young plants or the lower parts of adult plants are so strongly and sharply toothed that they appear to be of a different species. Some intermediate leaves are usually present. Leaves have an apex which ends in a stiff, bristle-like point, and their base extends downward. The margins of leaves are slightly recurved, undulate, and are entire except for spiny teeth in juveniles. In winter and spring (August to November in Australia), ''Corynocarpus rupestris'' produces a stout, erect cluster 10–21 cm long of tiny
flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
s with petioles which are greenish-cream, white, off-white or pale yellow, and 10–15 mm long. The individual flowers are 4–5 mm in diameter with petals 2.4-3.5 mm long. The pedestals are usually 3–5 mm long, and the
sepals 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'' ...
are 2–4 mm long. The fruit is a rounded or spherical
drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...
, red and glossy with a diameter of 1–4 cm, ending in a tiny point in some sub-species, containing a single kernel with a
seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...
. The fruit ripens in summer and autumn (January to April in Australia), and the seed dispersion is mostly the result of scattering by columbiform birds.


Habitat and ecology

''Corynocarpus rupestris''' habitat consists of dry
rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
on steep
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
boulder slopes where the soil is scarce but relatively high in nutrients and very well-drained. Fire is generally excluded by the rocky terrain and absence of ground litter. With the drying of Australia, the
laurel forest Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and el ...
s habitat gradually retreated, and laurel forests were replaced by the more drought-tolerant
sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...
plant communities familiar today. ''Corynocarpus rupestris'' grows well in limy
soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...
s where there is shelter due to its late flowering. Growth as a multi-stemmed shrub rather than a tree is an adaptation to this new habitat. ''Corynocarpus rupestris'' subsp. ''rupestris'' is naturally adapted to dry summers, although it also grows well in cool, wet summers. ''Corynocarpus rupestris'' is a typical representative of the laurel forest
ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...
.


Subspecies

* ''C. rupestris'' subsp. ''rupestris'', Glenugie Karaka. * ''C. rupestris'' subsp. ''arborescens'', Southern Corynocarpus. Glenugie karaka can be distinguished from ''C. rupestris'' subsp. ''arborescens'' by its longer
inflorescences In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( pe ...
, which are 10–21 cm long, and by its shorter height, as southern Corynocarpus grows to 12 m height.


Naming

"Glenugie" comes from the small mountain where the sub-species ''rupestris'' was collected: Glenugie Peak. "Karaka" is a Māori name from the related
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
species '' Corynocarpus laevigatus''. The genus name ''Corynocarpus'' means a 'club fruit', referring to the club-shaped fruit of other species in the genus. ''Rupestris'' is from the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, "meaning living near rocks."


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5173770 Corynocarpaceae Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Taxa named by Gordon P. Guymer