''Flindersia australis'', commonly known as crow's ash, flindosy or Australian teak, is a species of tree that 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 north-eastern Australia. It has

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...

leaves with between five and thirteen egg-shaped to elliptical leaflets, white to cream-coloured 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 on the ends of branchlets and followed by woody capsules studded with short, rough points and containing winged seeds.

Description

''Flindersia australis'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of , larger trees usually having a buttressed trunk. The leaves are usually arranged alternately and are crowded near the ends of the branchlets. The leaves usually have between five and nine elliptical to egg-shaped leaflets that are long and wide, the side leaflets on a

petiolule In botany, the petiole () is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem. It is able to twist the leaf to face the sun, producing a characteristic foliage arrangement (spacing of blades), and also optimizing its exposure to sunlight. Outg ...

up to long and the end leaflet on a petiolule

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

or on a petiolule up to long. The flowers are arranged in panicles long and usually include a few male-only flowers. The 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 are about long and the 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 are white to cream-coloured, long and densely hairy on the back and part of the front. Flowering occurs from September to October and the fruit is a woody capsule long and studded with short, rough points. The seeds are long and winged.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Flindersia'' and ''F. australis'' were 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 ...

Matthew Flinders Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first littoral zone, inshore circumnavigate, circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then ...

' sea voyage journal ''

A Voyage to Terra Australis ''A Voyage to Terra Australis: Undertaken for the Purpose of Completing the Discovery of that Vast Country, and Prosecuted in the Years 1801, 1802, and 1803, in His Majesty's Ship the Investigator'' was a sea voyage journal written by British ma ...

'', from specimens collected near Broad Sound in September 1802.

Distribution and habitat

Crow's ash grows in rainforest and dry scrub from near Airlie Beach, inland as far as

Carnarvon National Park Carnarvon National Park is located in the Southern Brigalow Belt bioregion in the Maranoa Region in Central Queensland, Australia. The park is 593 km northwest of Brisbane. It began life as a reserve gazetted in 1932 to protect Carnarvon ...

and south to near Kempsey in New South Wales.

Conservation status

''Flindersia australis'' is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government ''

Nature Conservation Act 1992 The ''Nature Conservation Act 1992'' is an act of the Parliament of Queensland, Australia, that, together with subordinate legislation, provides for the legislative protection of Queensland's threatened biota. As originally published, it prov ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1605767 australis Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Sapindales of Australia Trees of Australia Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Plants described in 1814