Negria is a plant genus in the family Gesneriaceae. Its only species is Negria rhabdothamnoides, commonly known as the pumpkin tree. It is related to Fieldia (syn. Lenbrassia) and Depanthus.[1]

Negria
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Negria
F.Muell. (1871)
Species:
N. rhabdothamnoides
Binomial name
Negria rhabdothamnoides
F.Muell. (1871)
Negria is endemic to Lord Howe Island

Description

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The pumpkin tree grows to about 8 m in height. It has pale, corky bark and soft, brittle wood. The ovate to broadly elliptic leaves are 70–200 mm long and 45–100 mm wide; they have glossy upper surfaces and are pale and sparsely haired beneath.[2] The flowers are large and orange with small red dots, appearing over summer from October to April. The fruit is a black, beaked capsule 15 mm long which holds numerous tiny, wind-dispersed seeds.

Distribution and habitat

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The species is endemic to Australia's subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. The trees are found in the moist mountain forest of Lord Howe from about 500 m above sea level to the highest peaks at nearly 900 m.[3]

See also

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  • Rhabdothamnus; this species has originally labelled in F. Mueller's collections as Rhabdothamnus negriana F.Muell., a name which he did not publish, but listed as a synonym.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Woo, V. L., Funke, M. M., Smith, J. F., Lockhart, P. J., & Garnock-Jones, P. J. (2011). New World origins of southwest Pacific Gesneriaceae: multiple movements across and within the South Pacific. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 172(3), 434-457. http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/658183
  2. ^ Anon (2007). Appendices, Lord Howe Island Biodiversity Management Plan (PDF). Sydney: Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW). p. 189. ISBN 978-1-74122-598-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-22.
  3. ^ Brown, E.A. "Negria rhabdothamnoides F.Muell". PlantNET: NSW Flora Online. National Herbarium of NSW: Sydney. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
  4. ^ "Gesneriaceae. Negria". Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ. Vol. 7. 1871. pp. 151–153.