''Nematolepis'' is a genus of seven species of plants in the family

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

, all

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 ...

to Australia. They are shrubs or small trees with more or less flat leaves arranged alternately and flowers with five overlapping petals and ten

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. Six species are found in eastern Australia and one in Western Australia.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Nematolepis'' are shrubs or small trees with their stems, leaves and

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 covered with shield-like scales. The leaves are simple and arranged alternately. The flowers are arranged singly or 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 ...

in leaf axils, and have five sepals, five partly overlapping petals and ten stamens, all free from each other in most species. The five

carpels Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ...

are free from each other, each with two

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the sporangium, megasporangium), ...

s and the stigma is not differentiated from the

style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

. The fruit usually has a single seed in each of the five follicles.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Nematolepis'' was first formally described in 1852 by

Nikolai Turczaninow Nikolai Stepanovich Turczaninow (; 1796 – ) was a Russian botanist and plant collector who first identified several genera and many species of plants. Education and career Born in 1796, Turczaninow attended high school in Kharkov. In 181 ...

in the ''Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou'' and the first species described was '' Nematolepis phebalioides''.

Species list

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 ...

accepted seven species as at July 2020: * '' Nematolepis elliptica'' (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson (N.S.W.) * '' Nematolepis frondosa'' (N.G.Walsh & Albr.) Paul G.Wilson — leafy nematolepis (Vic.) * '' Nematolepis ovatifolia'' (F.Muell.) Paul G.Wilson (N.S.W.) * '' Nematolepis phebalioides'' Turcz. (W.A.) * '' Nematolepis rhytidophylla'' (Albr. & N.G.Walsh) Paul G.Wilson (N.S.W.) * ''

Nematolepis squamea ''Nematolepis squamea '', commonly known as Satinwood, is an upright shrub or small tree species which is endemic to Australia. Description ''Nematolepis squamea'' is an erect and conical shrub or small tree that grows to 12m in height. It ...

'' (Labill.) Paul G.Wilson — satinwood, lancewood satin box, satin box, lancewood or bobie bobie (Qld., N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) ** ''Nematolepis squamea'' subsp. ''coriacea'' (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson ** ''Nematolepis squamea'' (Turcz.) Paul G.Wilson subsp. ''squamea'' (Paul G.Wilson) Paul G.Wilson * '' Nematolepis wilsonii'' (N.G.Walsh & Albr.) Paul G.Wilson (Vic. - extinct)

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2708442 Taxa named by Nikolai Turczaninow Zanthoxyloideae genera