''Geijera'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family
Rutaceae
The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rue[RUTACEAE](_blank)
in Bo ...
and are
native
Native may refer to:
People
* '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood
* '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Nat ...
to New Guinea, Australia and New Caledonia. They have simple leaves arranged alternately,
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 of
bisexual
Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
flowers usually with five, sometimes four,
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,
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 and
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 and fruit containing shiny black seeds.
Description
Plants in the genus ''Geijera'' are shrubs or trees with simple leaves arranged alternately. They have small, bisexual flowers arranged in many-flowered panicles in upper leaf
axil
A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...
s and on the ends of branchlets and usually have five, sometimes four sepals, petals and stamens. The sepals are fused at the base, up to long, and persist in the fruit. The petals are white or cream-coloured, up to long and the stamens are up to long and arranged opposite the sepals. The fruit consists of up to five more or less spherical
follicles joined at the base each with a single shiny black seed.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Geijera'' was first formally described in 1834 by
Schott in his book ''Rutaceae - Fragmenta Botanica'' and the first species to be describe (the
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
) was ''
Geijera salicifolia''.
The name ''Geijera'' honours J.D. Geijer, a 17th century Swedish botanist.
Species list
The following is a list of species accepted by the
Australian Plant Census
The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Sys ...
,
or
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 ...
for species outside Australia:
* ''
Geijera balansae
''Geijera'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae and are Indigenous (ecology), native to New Guinea, Australia and New Caledonia. They have simple leaves arranged alternately, panicles of Plant reproductive morphology#Bisexual, bi ...
''
Schinz & Guillaumin – New Caledonia
* ''
Geijera cauliflora''
Baill. – New Caledonia
* ''
Geijera deplanchei''
( Pancher & Siebert) Däniker – New Caledonia
* ''
Geijera linearifolia''
( DC.) J.M.Black – South Australia, Western Australia
* ''
Geijera parviflora''
Lindl. – Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia
* ''
Geijera salicifolia''
Schott – New Guinea, New Caledonia, Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory.
Plants of the World Online includes ''G. helmsiae'' and ''G. paniculata'' but the Australian Plants Census lists these as
synonyms
A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...
of ''
Coatesia paniculata''.
Distribution and habitat
Most species of ''Geijera'' grow in tropical or subtropical rainforest. Three species occur on New Caledonia, and three in Australia, two 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 ...
.
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5530120
Taxa named by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott
Zanthoxyloideae genera