''Medicosma'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...

, all

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 or New Caledonia. They usually have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers arranged in

cymes In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( ped ...

with 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, four

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 eight

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. The fruit is a follicle fused at the base in groups of up to four, each containing one or two brown or black seeds.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Medicosma'' are shrubs or trees that usually have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs but the leaves are sometimes arranged alternately and sometimes

trifoliate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets ...

. The flowers are usually arranged in cymes, sometimes solitary, in 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 are usually

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 ...

with four sepals, four petals and eight stamens. The sepals are fused at the base and persist in the fruit. The petals are usually free from each other but usually overlap each other slightly. The fruit consists of up to four oval follicles fused at the base, each containing one or two brown to black seeds.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Medicosma'' was first formally described in 1862 by

William Jackson Hooker Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botany, botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew Gardens, Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botan ...

in ''

Genera Plantarum ''Genera Plantarum'' is a publication of Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778). The first edition was issued in Leiden, 1737. The fifth edition served as a complementary volume to ''Species Plantarum'' (1753). Article 13 of the Internat ...

''.

Species list

The following is a list of species accepted by

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 ...

as at July 2020: * '' Medicosma articulata'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma congesta'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * ''

Medicosma cunninghamii ''Medicosma cunninghamii'', commonly known as pinkheart or bonewood, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is Endemism, endemic to eastern Australia. It has simple, narrow oblong to lance-shaped leaves and small white or ...

'' (Hook.)

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

Hook.f. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Ro ...

– (N.S.W., Qld.) * ''

Medicosma diversifolia ''Medicosma'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae, all native to New Guinea, Australia or New Caledonia. They usually have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers arranged in cymes with four sepals, four petals and eig ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * ''

Medicosma elliptica ''Medicosma elliptica'', commonly known as Bulburin medicosma, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of Queensland. It has elliptical leaves and white flowers borne singly or in small grou ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * ''

Medicosma emarginata ''Medicosma'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae, all native to New Guinea, Australia or New Caledonia. They usually have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers arranged in cymes with four sepals, four petals and eig ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * ''

Medicosma exigua ''Medicosma'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae, all native to New Guinea, Australia or New Caledonia. They usually have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers arranged in cymes with four sepals, four petals and eig ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * ''

Medicosma fareana ''Medicosma fareana'', commonly known as white aspen, is a species of rainforest small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to north Queensland. It has elliptical leaves and white or cream-coloured flowers borne singly or in small groups ...

'' (

F.Muell. 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 (state), Vic ...

) T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * ''

Medicosma forsteri ''Medicosma'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae, all Indigenous (ecology), native to New Guinea, Australia or New Caledonia. They usually have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers arranged in Inflorescence#Determi ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * ''

Medicosma glandulosa ''Medicosma glandulosa'' is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to far north Queensland. It has elliptical to egg-shaped leaves and flowers that are white with red tips or cream-coloured, borne singly or in sma ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * ''

Medicosma gracilis ''Medicosma'' is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rutaceae, all native to New Guinea, Australia or New Caledonia. They usually have simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flowers arranged in cymes with four sepals, four petals and eig ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * ''

Medicosma heterophylla ''Medicosma heterophylla'' is a species of small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of far north Queensland. It has simple and trifoliate, elliptical leaves and leaflets, and cream-coloured to pink or reddish flowers ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * '' Medicosma latifolia'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma lerati'' (

Guillaumin Guillaumin is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: *André Guillaumin (1885–1974), French botanist *Armand Guillaumin Armand Guillaumin (; February 16, 1841 – June 26, 1927) was a French Impressionist painter and l ...

) T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma mulgraveana'' T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * '' Medicosma obliqua'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * ''

Medicosma obovata ''Medicosma obovata'' is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of far north Queensland. It has simple egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base and white flowers borne singly o ...

'' T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * '' Medicosma parvifolia'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma petiolaris'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma riparia'' ( P.Royen) T.G.Hartley – (New Guinea) * '' Medicosma sessiliflora'' ( C.T.White) T.G.Hartley – (Qld.) * '' Medicosma suberosa'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma subsessilis'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma tahafeana'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia) * '' Medicosma verticillata'' T.G.Hartley – (New Caledonia)

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q6806786 Zanthoxyloideae genera Taxa named by William Jackson Hooker