Trochocarpa cunninghamii is a flowering plant species of the family Ericaceae and is endemic to Tasmania. It is commonly referred to as straggling purpleberry due to its round flattened mauve drupe fruits.[3] It is a woody shrub usually found in the understorey of rainforests and subalpine forests in the Central Plateau and western Tasmania.
| Trochocarpa cunninghamii | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Mount Field National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Trochocarpa |
| Species: | T. cunninghamii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Trochocarpa cunninghamii | |
| |
| Occurrence records from Atlas of Living Australia[2] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description
editTrochocarpa cunninghamii is a low, scrambling prostrate shrub with reddish new growth.[3] Its leaves are at alternate at right angles to the stem, 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long, with 5-7 veins visible from the underside of the leaf, the lower surface, with a lighter shade of green.[3][4] In summer, pink and white tubular flowers are borne in dangling spikes near the end of branches.[3] The purplish blue-black fruit is present year-round and is described as round flattened mauve drupes about 10 mm (0.39 in) in diameter.[3][5]
The foliage of this species can be mistaken for T. gunnii as it has a similar appearance,[4] but T. cunninghamii can be easily distinguished from T. gunnii by its growth habit. T. gunnii is an erect, dense to open shrub to small tree 3–6 m (10–20 ft) high and 2–3 m (6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in) wide, whereas T. cunninghamii has a low scrambling habit, 0.2–1.5 m (8 in – 4 ft 11 in) high and 0.5–2 m (1 ft 8 in – 6 ft 7 in) wide.[3][5]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first formally described in 1839 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, who gave it the name Decaspora cunninghami in his Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis,[6][7] and in 1963 was transferred to the genus, Trochocarpa as T. cunninghamii by Winifred Curtis.[8][9] The specific epithet (cunninghamii) honours English botanist Allan Cunningham, who circumnavigated Australia between 1816 and 1839 to collect plants.[10]
Distribution and habitat
editTrochocarpa cunninghamii is found only in subalpine forests and rainforest in Tasmania.[2][3] It is more commonly found at high altitudes than T. gunnii.[4] Trochocarpa disticha also closely resembles T. cunninghamii, however T. disticha is a large shrub with larger leaves, restricted to far southeast Tasmania and regarded as uncommon.[4]
Ecology
editThe hairy-covered, red petal tube of T. cunninghamii may exclude insect access, but is attractive to birds.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "Trochocarpa cunninghamii". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Trochocarpa cunninghamii". bie.ala.org.au. Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g Howells, Christine (2012). Tasmania's Natural Flora. Hobart: Australian Plants Society Tasmania Incorporated. ISBN 9780909830663.
- ^ a b c d "Key to Tasmanian Dicots". www.utas.edu.au. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
- ^ a b "Trochocarpa cunninghamii". Alpine Garden Society. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- ^ "Decaspora cunninghami". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ de Candolle, Augustin P. (1839). Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis. Paris: Sumptibus Sociorum Treuttel et Würtz. p. 758. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Trochocarpa cunninghamii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Curtis, W.M. (1963), Angiospermae: Lythraceae to Epacridaceae. The Student's Flora of Tasmania 2: 431, 463
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 175. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ Johnson, Karen A. (July 2013). "Are there pollination syndromes in the Australian epacrids (Ericaceae: Styphelioideae)? A novel statistical method to identify key floral traits per syndrome". Annals of Botany. 112 (1): 141–149. doi:10.1093/aob/mct105. ISSN 0305-7364. PMC 3690994. PMID 23681546.