''Bosistoa'' is a genus of four species of tree in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...

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 have simple or compound leaves arranged in opposite pairs and

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

flowers arranged in

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

s, each flower with five

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'' ...

, five white

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 ten

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 ...

Description

Plants in the genus ''Bosistoa'' are trees with simple or compound leaves arranged in opposite pairs and lack

domatia A domatium (plural: domatia, from the Latin "domus", meaning home) is a tiny chamber that houses arthropods, produced by a plant. Ideally domatia differ from galls in that they are produced by the plant rather than being induced by their inhabi ...

. The flowers are bisexual, usually with five sepals fused at the base, sometimes almost for their full length, and five white petals. There are ten stamens that alternate in length. The fruit is a single or pair of follicles joined at the base with a woody

exocarp Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Fruitlike structures may develop directly from the seed itself rather th ...

. Each follicle contains a single smooth brown seed.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Bosistoa'' was first formally described in 1863 by

George Bentham George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

from an unpublished description by

Ferdinand von Mueller 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, Australia ...

and the description was published in ''

Flora Australiensis ''Flora Australiensis: a description of the plants of the Australian Territory'', more commonly referred to as ''Flora Australiensis'', and also known by its standard abbreviation ''Fl. Austral.'', is a seven-volume Flora of Australia published b ...

''. The name ''Bosistoa'' honours the Melbourne pharmacist,

Joseph Bosisto Joseph Bosisto CMG, MLA JP (21 March 1827 – 8 November 1898), was a chemist and politician in colonial Victoria, Australia. Background Bosisto was the son of William Bosisto and Maria (née Lazenby), of Cookham, Berkshire, and was born on 2 ...

. In 1977,

Thomas Hartley Thomas Hartley (September 7, 1748December 21, 1800) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from York, Pennsylvania. Early life and education Hartley was born in Colebrookdale Township in the Province of Pennsylvania. At 18 years of a ...

described seven species of ''Bosistoa'' and five varieties, but from a study of specimens collected since then, the number of accepted species has been reduced and the varieties dispensed with. The species described by Hartley but no longer 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 ...

are ''B. brassii'', ''B. monostylis'' and ''B. selwynii''. ''Bosistoa brassii'' is an accepted name in Queensland with ''B. brassii'' var. ''proserpinensis'' regarded as a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

of ''B. medicinalis''.

Species list

*'' Bosistoa floydii'' T.G.Hartley - five-leaf bosistoa, five-leaved bonewood (N.S.W.) *'' Bosistoa medicinalis'' (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley - northern towra, Eumundi bosistoa (Qld.) *'' Bosistoa pentacocca'' (F.Muell.) Baill. - ferny-leaf bosistoa, native almond, union nut (Qld., N.S.W.) **''Bosistoa pentacocca'' subsp. ''connaricarpa'' ( Domin) P.I.Forst. **''Bosistoa pentacocca'' (F.Muell.) Baill. subsp. ''pentacocca'' *'' Bosistoa transversa'' J.F.Bailey & C.T.White

Distribution and habitat

Trees in the genus ''Bosistoa'' are found in rainforest, often dry rainforest and occur in near-coastal areas between tropical north Queensland and northern New South Wales.

References

External links

Photograph of leaves of ''B. transversa'' (syn. ''B. selwynii'')
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4947284 Zanthoxyloideae genera Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland