''Dodonaea arnhemica'' is a species of plant in the family

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1,858 accepted species. Examples include Aesculus, horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The ...

and is

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 the north of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

. It is a shrub with oblong or elliptic leaves, flowers arranged singly or in

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

s, and capsules with four or five broad wings.

Description

''Dodonaea arnhemica'' is a shrub that typically grows to a height of up to . Its leaves are oblong or elliptic, long and wide on a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

long and covered with soft hairs. The flowers are borne singly or in racemes on the ends of branches, each flower on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long, with six or seven egg-shaped to oblong

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 long and 14–24

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

ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...

is heart-shaped and densely covered with soft hairs, the

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

long. The fruit is an oval capsule, long and up to wide, with four or five broad wings wide.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1984 by Sally T. Reynolds who gave it the name ''Distichostemon arnhemicus'' in the journal ''

Austrobaileya ''Austrobaileya'' is the sole genus in the plant family Austrobaileyaceae – the family is thus 'monotypic' as it includes a single child taxon. It is one of the basal angiosperm families, the most ancient group of flowering plants. The genu ...

'', based on specimens collected in 1973 on Mount Brockman in the Northern Territory. In 2010,

M.G. Harrington MG, Mg, or mg and variants may refer to: Arts Entertainment * MG, a character in ''The Perhapanauts'' comics * Magilla Gorilla, a cartoon character * ''Match Game'', a television game show Music * '' Main gauche'', "left hand" in piano playi ...

transferred the species to ''Dodonaea'' as ''D. arnhemica'' in ''

Australian Systematic Botany ''Australian Systematic Botany'' is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal published by CSIRO Publishing. It is devoted to publishing original research, and sometimes review articles, on topics related to systematic botany, such as b ...

''. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

(''arnhemica'') refers to Arnhem Land, where the species occurs.

Distribution and habitat

This species of ''Dodonaea'' is common in mineralised areas of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

, where it grows in sandstone gullies, gorges and escarpments, often near creeks.

Conservation status

''Dodonaea arnhemica'' is listed as "least concern" under the Northern Territory Government ''

Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18083628 arnhemica Flora of the Northern Territory Sapindales of Australia Taxa named by Sally T. Reynolds Plants described in 1984