''Bouchardatia'' is a genus of two species of tree in the family

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

, one species

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, the other to

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. They have compound leaves with three or five leaflets, and are arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are

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 ...

, 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 four

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'' ...

, four

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 eight

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, the petals and stamens all free from each other. The fruit has up to four ridged follicles fused at the base, each containing a single seed.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Bouchardatia'' are shrubs or trees with compound leaves arranged in opposite pairs, the leaves with three or five leaflets, rarely two or the leaves simple. The flowers are bisexual with four sepals fused at the base, four petals that are free from each other but overlapping each other, and eight stamens that alternate in length. The fruit is of up to four ridged 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 shiny brown seed.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Bouchardatia'' was first formally described in 1867 by

Henri Ernest Baillon Henri Ernest Baillon (; 30 November 1827 in Calais – 19 July 1895 in Paris) was a French botanist and physician. Baillon spent his academic career teaching natural history and publishing numerous works on botany. He was appointed to the Lé ...

in the journal ''Adansonia''. The first species to be described was ''B. australis'', now considered to be 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. neurococca''.

Species list

The names of two species are accepted by

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

: *'' Bouchardatia cyanosperma'' Ridl. that is endemic to New Guinea; *'' Bouchardatia neurococca'' (F.Muell.) Baill. that is endemic to eastern Australia.

Distribution and habitat

'' Bouchardatia neurococca'' grows in rainforest, especially dry rainforest, from near sea level to an altitude of and from Mackay in central-eastern Queensland to the

Richmond River The Richmond River is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may ...

in north-eastern New South Wales. '' Bouchardatia cyanosperma'' occurs in New Guinea.

Ecology

''Bouchardatia'' leaves possess

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 ...

that are inhabited by oribatid mites.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5484973 Zanthoxyloideae genera Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Flora of New Guinea Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon