''Flindersia'' is a genus of 17 species of small to large trees in the family

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

. They have simple or pinnate leaves, flowers arranged in panicles at or near the ends of branchlets and fruit that is a woody capsule containing winged seeds. They grow naturally in Australia, the Moluccas, New Guinea and New Caledonia.

Description

Trees in the genus ''Flindersia'' have simple or pinnate leaves with up to sixteen leaflets, the side leaflets arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers are arranged in panicles at the ends of branchlets or in upper leaf axils and have five

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 and five

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. The flowers are bisexual, or sometimes only have

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. There are five stamens opposite the sepals, alternating with five staminodes. 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 ...

has five locules and is more or less spherical with five shallow lobes and there are between four and six

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the sporangium, megasporangium), ...

s in each locule. The fruit is a woody capsule splitting into five and contains brown, winged seeds.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Flindersia'' was first formally described in 1814 by

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

in Matthew Flinders' sea voyage journal '' A Voyage to Terra Australis''.

Species list

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 ...

accepts the following 17 species: * '' Flindersia acuminata'' C.T.White – silver silkwood, silver maple (Qld.) * '' Flindersia amboinensis'' Poir. – ( Moluccas to New Guinea) * '' Flindersia australis'' R.Br. – Australian teak, crows ash (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Flindersia bennettii'' F.Muell. ex C.Moore – Bennett's ash (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Flindersia bourjotiana'' F.Muell. – Queensland silver ash (Qld.) * '' Flindersia brassii'' T.G.Hartley & B.Hyland – hard scented maple, Claudie River scented maple – (Qld.) * '' Flindersia brayleyana'' F.Muell. – Queensland maple, maple silkwood (Qld.) * '' Flindersia collina'' F.M.Bailey – broad-leaved leopard tree (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Flindersia dissosperma'' (F.Muell.) Domin – scrub leopardwood (Qld.) * '' Flindersia fournieri'' Pancher & Sebert – (New Caledonia) * '' Flindersia ifflana'' F.Muell. – hickory ash, Cairns hickory (Qld.) * ''

Flindersia laevicarpa ''Flindersia laevicarpa'', commonly known in Australia as rose ash, scented maple or dirran maple, is a species of medium-sized to large tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to Papua New Guinea, West Papua and Queensland. It has pinnate l ...

'' C.T.White & W.D.Francis * '' Flindersia maculosa'' (Lindl.) Benth. – leopardwood, leopard tree (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Flindersia oppositifolia'' (F.Muell.) T.G.Hartley & Laurence W. Jessup – mountain silkwood (Qld.) * ''

Flindersia pimenteliana ''Flindersia pimenteliana'', commonly known as maple silkwood, red beech or rose silkwood, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is Indigenous (ecology), native to New Guinea and Queensland. It has Pinnation, pinnate leaves with thre ...

'' F.Muell. – maple silkwood, rose silkwood (New Guinea, Qld.) * '' Flindersia schottiana'' F.Muell. – silver ash, cudgerie, bumpy ash (New Guinea, Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Flindersia xanthoxyla'' ( A.Cunn. ex Hook.) Domin – yellowwood, long jack (Qld., N.S.W.)

Distribution and habitat

Many species of ''Flindersia'' grow in rainforest. Of the seventeen species, fifteen occur in Australia, twelve of which are

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 ...

Uses

Some species yield timbers that are widely used for flooring and cabinet work.

Gallery

References

External links

Queensland government list of hardwood timber species

in Botanical Dermatology Database
BRAIN Brisbane Rainforest Action & Information Network
{{Taxonbar, from=Q116479 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Zanthoxyloideae genera