Chionanthus quadristamineus

Chionanthus quadristamineus, commonly known as the blue plum, is a flowering plant in the olive family. The specific epithet refers to the four stamens in the flowers.[1]

blue plum
Lord Howe Island fringetree
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Genus: Chionanthus
Species:
C. quadristamineus
Binomial name
Chionanthus quadristamineus
Synonyms[2]
  • Mayepea quadristaminea (F.Muell.) F.Muell. (1876)
  • Linociera quadristaminea (F.Muell.) Knobl. (1895)
  • Notelaea quadristaminea (F.Muell.) Hemsl. (1896)

Description

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Chionanthus quadristamineus is a pale-barked, evergreen tree, growing to 15 m in height. The leathery, broadly elliptic to narrowly obovate leaves are 5–12 cm long and 3–6 cm wide. The small green flowers are 5 mm in diameter. The egg-shaped fruits are 5–6 cm long and dark blue when ripe. The flowering season is from November to May.[1][3][4]

Distribution and habitat

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Chionanthus quadristamineus is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It is common in forest from sea-level to elevations of about 400 m in the southern mountains of the island.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d " Chionanthus quadristamineus ". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  2. ^ The Plant List, Chionanthus quadristamineus
  3. ^ Mueller, Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von. 1871. Fragmenta Phytographiæ Australiæ 8: 41, Chionanthus quadristamineus
  4. ^ Knoblauch, Emil Friedrich. 1895. Botanisches Centralblatt 61: 87, Linociera quadristaminea