Guioa semiglauca, known as the guioa or wild quince, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia It grows from Kioloa (35° S) near Batemans Bay in southern New South Wales to Eungella National Park (20° S) in tropical Queensland. It grows in many different types of rainforest, particularly common in regenerating areas and on sand in littoral rainforest.
| Guioa semiglauca | |
|---|---|
| |
| Foliage and flowers | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Guioa |
| Species: | G. semiglauca
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| Binomial name | |
| Guioa semiglauca | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
Description
editGuioa semiglauca grows to around 25 m tall and 43 cm in diameter, but it may flower and fruit when only 6 m tall. The outer bark is smooth and the trunk is fluted. It is similar to coachwood, however it is more fluted and irregular.[4][5]
The veiny leaflets are pinnate and measure up to 10 cm long. The midrib extends beyond the leaf to form a tiny tip. They are green above and whitish (glaucous) below. The yellow/green flowers form around September to November. The fruiting capsule matures from January to May. The seeds are oval covered by a thin layer of fleshy aril. Fruit eaten by a large variety of birds, including the Australian king parrot.[4][5]
Uses
editIndigenous Australians used the saponin in the bark as a fish poison.
Gallery
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Stand of trees on the Illawarra Escarpment south west of Kiama -
Fluted trunk -
Underside of leaves -
Female flowers -
Male flowers -
Fruit
References
edit- ^ "Species profile—Guioa semiglauca". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ "Guioa semiglauca". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Guioa semiglauca (F.Muell.) Radlk". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ a b Harden, G.; Crayn, D.M. (1991). "PlantNET - FloraOnline". PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System). Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
- ^ a b F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Guioa semiglauca". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
External links
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- View a map of herbarium records of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- See images of this species on Flickriver.com