''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 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, West Papua and Queensland. It has pinnate leaves with four to eight 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 cream-coloured, yellowish, red or purple flowers and smooth woody fruit that split into five at maturity, releasing winged seeds.

Description

''Flindersia laevicarpa'' is a tree that grows to a height of . It has pinnate leaves long with four to eight egg-shaped leaflets 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, the sepals 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 cream-coloured, yellowish, red or purple and long. Flowering occurs from January to July and the fruit is a smooth, woody capsule long that splits into five, releasing seeds that are long.

Taxonomy

''Flindersia laevicarpa'' was first formally described in 1920 by Cyril Tenison White and

William D. Francis William Douglas Francis (6 March 1889 – 2 January 1959) was an Australian botany, botanist. Born in Bega, New South Wales, at the age of 17 he moved with his father Alfred, and brother Frederick, from Wollongong, New South Wales, where he ...

in the ''Botany Bulletin'' of the Queensland Department of Agriculture. In 1969,

Thomas Hartley Thomas Hartley (September 7, 1748December 21, 1800) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from York, Pennsylvania. Early life and education Hartley was born in Colebrookdale Township in the Province of Pennsylvania. At 18 years of ...

described two varieties and the name of the autonym is accepted by the Australian Plant Census: * ''Flindersia laevicarpa'' var. ''heterophylla'' (originally described as ''Flindersia heterophylla'' by Merrill and Perry) has leaves usually shorter than , usually with two to four leaflets and a capsule long; * ''Flindersia laevicarpa'' var. ''laevicarpa'' has leaves , usually with four to eight leaflets and a capsule long.

Distribution and habitat

Variety ''laevicarpa'' grows in rainforest at altitudes of between and occurs from near the

Daintree River The Daintree River is a river that rises in the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. The river is located about northwest of Cairns in the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Wet Tropics of Queensland. The area ...

Gadgarra Gadgarra is a rural locality in the Tablelands Region, Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_nam ...

in far north Queensland. Variety ''heterophylla'' is found from sea level to an altitude of about between

Misool Island Misool, formerly spelled Mysol (Dutch: Misoöl) or Misol, is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Southwest Papua, Indonesia. Its area is 2,034 km2. The highest point is 561 m and the main towns are Waigama, located ...

in West Papua to

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...

in Papua New Guinea.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5454387 laevicarpa Sapindales of Australia Flora of Papua New Guinea Flora of Queensland Taxa named by Cyril Tenison White Plants described in 1920