''Eumachiaia frutescens'', commonly known as turkey bush, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

and is native to north

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

in Australia. It is an understorey plant with relatively large leaves, tube-shaped white flowers and red

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 ...

Description

''Eumachiaia frutescens'' is an understorey plant that typically grows to a height of about with leaves about long and wide with broadly triangular

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s that persist, even when the leaves have fallen. The flowers are white, the petals fused at the base to form a tube about long and

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, ...

outside but densely hairy inside, the

anthers 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 filamen ...

about long. The fruit is a red drupe about long and wide, usually containing two seeds.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1942 by

Cyril Tenison White Cyril Tenison White (17 August 1890 – 15 August 1950) was an Australian botanist. Early life White was born in Brisbane, Queensland, to Henry White, a trade broker, and Louisa (''nee'' Bailey). He attended school at South Brisbane State Sch ...

who gave it the name ''Hodgkinsonia frutescens'' in the ''

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland ''Proceedings of The Royal Society of Queensland'' is a multidisciplinary scientific journal published by The Royal Society of Queensland The Royal Society of Queensland was formed in Queensland, Australia in 1884 from the Queensland Philos ...

''. 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 ...

(''frutescens'') means "becoming bushy". In 2017, Laure Barrabé, Charlotte Morley Taylor and Sylvain G. Razafimandimbison transferred the species to the genus ''Eumachia'' as ''E. frutescens'', in the journal ''

Candollea ''Stylidium'' (the triggerplants or trigger plants) is a genus of dicotyledonous plants that belong to the family Stylidiaceae. The genus name ''Stylidium'' is derived from the Greek ''στύλος'' or ''stylos'' (column or pillar), which refers ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

Turkey bush grows on

Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...

and in north-east Queensland from sea level to , usually in dry rainforest.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q90452611, from2=Q5876163 Palicoureeae Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1942 Taxa named by Cyril Tenison White