Diploglottis smithii, commonly known as Smith's tamarind or wild tamarind, is a plant in the maple family Sapindaceae found only in the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia.
| Smith's tamarind | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Cairns Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Diploglottis |
| Species: | D. smithii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Diploglottis smithii | |
Description
editIt is a tree up to 18 m tall and 60 cm trunk diameter, and it may produce buttress roots. The large compound leaves can reach 47 cm in length (including the petiole), with between 4 and 6 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets have 24–34 lateral veins set about 7 mm apart, which are depressed in the upper surface (i.e. they are bullate). The inflorescence is a thyrse with numerous small flowers about 5 mm diameter. The fruits are yellowy-green, 2- or 3-valved capsules about 1.8 cm long and 3 cm wide, each valve containing a single brown seed entirely enclosed in an orange aril.[4][5][6]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first described by the Australian botanist and Sapindaceae specialist Sally T. Reynolds, and published in the journal Austrobaileya in 1981.[4]
Etymology
editThe genus name Diploglottis comes from the Neo-Latin words diplo- meaning double, and glottis meaning tongue, which is a reference to the two tongue-like scales on the petals.[7] The species epithet smithii was chosen to honour the botanist Lindsay Stuart Smith who collected the type specimen in 1948, and was an authority on Sapindaceae in Australia.
Distribution and habitat
editSmith's tamarind is restricted to coastal rainforest in northeast Queensland from about Cooktown to just south of Innisfail, at altitudes from sea level to 450 m.[5][6]
Conservation
editThis species is listed as least concern under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation Act.[1] As of 12 June 2024[update], it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Gallery
edit-
Foliage -
The compound leaf -
Fruits and seeds -
A tree in rainforest near Cairns, Queensland
References
edit- ^ a b "Species profile—Diploglottis smithii". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Diploglottis smithii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Diploglottis smithii S.T.Reynolds". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Sally T. (1981). "Notes on Sapindaceae in Australia, I". Austrobaileya. 1 (4): 388–419. doi:10.5962/p.365514. JSTOR 41738625.
- ^ a b Reynolds, S.T.; Kodela, P.G. (2022). Kodela, P.G. (ed.). "Diploglottis smithii". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Diploglottis smithii". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 488. ISBN 978-0-9581742-1-3.
External links
edit
- View a map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- View images of this species on Flickriver.com