Goniocheton arborescens, commonly known in Australia as Mossman mahogany, is a small tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is native to rainforests of Malesia, Papuasia, Queensland and nearby islands.
| Mossman mahogany | |
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| Fruiting tree in Cairns, QLD, March 2022 | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Meliaceae |
| Genus: | Goniocheton |
| Species: | G. arborescens
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| Binomial name | |
| Goniocheton arborescens | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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List
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Description edit
The Mossman mahogany usually grows to around 20 m (70 ft) high, occasionally to 30 m (100 ft),[4][5][6][7] but it may flower and fruit when only 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high.[7][8] The trunk can reach a diameter of up to 45 centimetres (18 in), and may be fluted or possess buttresses up to 1 m (3 ft) tall.[4][5][6][7] It has bark that is grey-brown, smooth or with mild cracking,[4][6][7] and which bears large conspicuous lenticels.[5] The leafy twigs are also grey-brown and lenticellate.[4][5][6][7]
The compound leaves are arranged in whorls or spirals and are pinnate with 5 to 9 leaflets, usually with a terminal leaflet.[4][5][6][7] The petioles are glabrous, about 7 cm (3 in) long, and swollen at the junction with the twig. The leaves have 5 to 9 glabrous leaflets which are dark green above and lighter below, and measure up to 18 by 7 cm (7 by 3 in).[4][5][6][7] The proximal leaflets (i.e. the ones closest to the twig) are the smallest, with successive leaflets getting larger, and the terminal leaflet is the largest.[7]
The inflorescence is an axillary thyrse measuring up to 8 cm (3.1 in) long which is covered in minute tawny hairs. The sweetly scented flowers measure around 10 mm (0.39 in), and are creamy-green to white with usually 5 petals up to 10 by 2.2 mm (0.4 by 0.1 in).[4][5][6][7] A staminal tube rises from the base of the petals, and has 10 anthers about 1 mm (0.039 in) long inserted close to the distal end.[4][6][7]
The fruits are slightly flattened globular capsules up to 3 cm (1 in) in diameter. They are glabrous, bright pink-red in colour and usually contains 5 seeds.[4][6][7]
Taxonomy edit
This species was originally described as Goniocheton arborescens in 1825 by the German-Dutch botanist Carl Ludwig Blume, but was transferred to the genus Dysoxylum in 1868 by the Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel. It was published in his paper Monographia Meliacearum Archipelagi Indici, in Annales Musei Botanici Lugduno-Batavi Vol 4 p.24 [5][6] In 2021 a wide ranging review of Dysoxylum found that the genus was polyphyletic (i.e. the most recent ancestor of the members was not the same for all members. As a result this species was placed back in its original genus Goniocheton.[9]
Etymology edit
The species epithet is from the Latin word arborescens, meaning "tree-like", which may be a reference to its relatively small stature.[10]
Ecology edit
This tree is the host for larvae of the orange emperor butterfly.[11]
Cultivation and uses edit
The Australian botanist David L. Jones wrote in his 1986 book Rainforest Plants of Australia that this species "has good potential as a garden plant and is of manageable dimensions".[12]
Distribution and habitat edit
Goniocheton arborescens is native to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Taiwan, Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia, New Guinea the Bismark Archipelago, Queensland, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. It is a common species, growing in a variety of rainforest habitats from sea-level to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) elevation.[5][6][7]
Conservation edit
This species is listed by Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation as least concern.[1] As of 17 February 2024[update], it has not been assessed by the IUCN.
Gallery edit
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The compound leaf, upper surface -
Leaf lower surface -
Flowers -
Flowers
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Trunk with lenticels -
Buttress roots -
Twig with lenticels -
Fluted trunk
References edit
- ^ a b "Species profile—Dysoxylum arborescens". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ^ "Goniocheton arborescens". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Goniocheton arborescens Blume". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Dysoxylum arborescens Miq". World Flora Online. World Flora Online Consortium. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Dysoxylum arborescens". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mabberley, D.J. (2021). Kodela, P.G.; Busby, John R. (eds.). "Dysoxylum arborescens". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mabberley, David J.; Sing, Anne M. (March 2007). "Dysoxylum arborescens (Blume) Miq.". In Soepadmo, E.; Saw, L. G.; Chung, R. C. K.; Kiew, Ruth (eds.). Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak. (free online from the publisher, lesser resolution scan PDF versions). Vol. 6. Forest Research Institute Malaysia. pp. 152–154. ISBN 978-983-2181-89-7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ "Dysoxylum arborescens". Flora Malesiana. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ Holzmeyer, Laura; Hauenschild, Frank; Mabberley, David J.; Muellner-Riehl, Alexandra N. (2021). "Confirmed polyphyly, generic recircumscription and typification of Dysoxylum (Meliaceae), with revised disposition of currently accepted species". Taxon. 70 (6): 1248–1272. doi:10.1002/tax.12591.
- ^ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 287. ISBN 9780958174213.
- ^ Robinson, Gaden S.; Ackery, Phillip R.; Kitching, Ian; Beccaloni, George W.; Hernández, Luis M. (2023). "HOSTS - The Hostplants and Caterpillars Database at the Natural History Museum". Natural History Museum. The Trustees of The Natural History Museum, London. doi:10.5519/havt50xw. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ^ Jones, David L. (1986). Rainforest Plants of Australia. Bowgowlah, NSW, Australia: Reed Books. p. 171. ISBN 0-7301-0381-1.
External links edit
Data related to Goniocheton arborescens at Wikispecies
Media related to Goniocheton arborescens at Wikimedia Commons- View a map of historical sightings of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- View images of this species on Flickriver
