''Gossia acmenoides'', known as the scrub ironwood, is a rainforest tree of the family

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

, native to eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The usual habitat of this small tree is drier rainforest areas. The range of natural distribution is from Jamberoo in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

to Eungella National Park in northern

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. The generic name ''Gossia'' refers to the former

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Wayne Goss Wayne Keith Goss (26 February 1951 – 10 November 2014) was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996, becoming the first Labor Premier of the state in over 32 years. Prior to entering politics, Goss was a solicitor, an ...

, who was a champion of conservation. The specific epithet ''acmenoides'' means that this type of tree resembles plants of the genus '' Acmena'' (many of which have been transferred to the genus ''

Syzygium ''Syzygium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1200 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific. I ...

''). The leaves of this plant resemble the lillypilly ''

Syzygium smithii ''Syzygium smithii'' (formerly ''Acmena smithii'') is a summer-flowering, winter-fruiting evergreen tree, native to Australia and belonging to the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It shares the common name "lilly pilly" with several other plants. It is p ...

''.

Taxonomy

The species was first described in 1859 as ''Myrtus acmenoides'' by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (; 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 Victoria, Australia ...

, but was transferred in 2003 to the genus, ''Gossia'', by Neil Snow, Gordon Guymer and Sawvel.

Description

Scrub ironwood is a small-sized tree or shrub, usually around 8 metres (25 ft) tall. The trunk is often multi-stemmed and crooked. The largest individuals are around 20 metres (60 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of 30 cm (12 in). The trunk is mostly not cylindrical, and the fawn-coloured bark is smooth and pale, showing occasional darker chocolate-coloured patches on the trunk. The outer bark has thin, paper-like fragments, while the branchlets are smooth and brown. Leaves are opposite on the stem, simple and not toothed, 2.5 to 7.5 cm (1–3 in) long, and 1 to 3.5 cm (0.4-1.4 in) wide. Oil dots are few, but large and irregularly scattered and are visible by a lens or the naked eye. The mid rib is raised on the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf. A distinct intramarginal vein can be seen around the edge of the leaf. Small white flowers appear from November to April. The fruit is a small black berry, with three to five seeds, maturing from February to April. Regeneration from seeds or cuttings is not easily achieved.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5587481 Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Myrtales of Australia Trees of Australia acemenoides Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller Taxa named by Neil Wilton Snow Taxa named by Gordon P. Guymer