''Flindersia ifflana'', commonly known as hickory ash or Cairns hickory, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to Papua New Guinea and Queensland. It has pinnate leaves with between four and twelve egg-shaped to elliptical leaflets,

panicle 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 panicle are of ...

s of white or cream-coloured flowers and woody fruit studded with rough points.

Description

''Flindersia ifflana'' is a tree that typically grows to a height of and has thick fissured bark on old trees. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs and are pinnate, long with four to twelve egg-shaped to elliptical leaflets that are long and wide on

petiolules In botany, the petiole () is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem, and is able to twist the leaf to face the sun. This gives a characteristic foliage arrangement to the plant. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole in s ...

long. The flowers are arranged in panicles long, with at least a few male-only flowers. The sepals are about long and the

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s are cream-coloured or white, long. Flowering occurs from October to March and the fruit is a woody capsule long, containing seeds that are long.

Taxonomy

''Flindersia ifflana'' was first formally described in 1877 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in '' Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae'' from specimens collected by Walter Hill near Trinity Bay.

Distribution and habitat

Hickory ash grows in rainforest and is found in Papua New Guinea and in Queensland where it occurs at altitudes between from Cape Grenville to near Atherton.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15391526 ifflana Sapindales of Australia Flora of Papua New Guinea Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1877 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller