Didymocheton gaudichaudianus, commonly known as ivory mahogany, is a species of rainforest tree in the family Meliaceae, native to Malesia, Papuasia, Queensland, and some southwest Pacific islands.
| Didymocheton gaudichaudianus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Ivory mahogany near Lacey Creek, Queensland | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Meliaceae |
| Genus: | Didymocheton |
| Species: | D. gaudichaudianus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Didymocheton gaudichaudianus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
List
| |
Description
editThe ivory mahogany is a large tree growing up to 36 m (118 ft) in height with a straight trunk up to 80 cm (31 in) diameter. The bark is smooth and often has teaspoon-sized depressions in it. Buttress roots are a feature of this tree and may reach up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) high and 3.5 m (11 ft) wide.[3][4]
The very large leaves are produced in whorls and clustered towards the ends of the branches. They are imparipinnate with up to 14 pairs of leaflets, and measure up to 125 cm (49 in) in length.[3][4] This arrangement produces large spherical clusters of foliage (see gallery).
The leaflets are highly asymmetric at the base with one side of the leaf blade wider than the other. They measure up to 30 by 8 cm (11.8 by 3.1 in)[4]
The inflorescences are thyrses, about 70 cm (28 in) long, and produced in or close to the leaf axils. The flowers are a pale cream or green, 5-merous, with an unpleasant smell. The fruits are capsules about 3 cm (1.2 in) diameter which are covered in fine brown hairs. They have five segments and contain up to 10 seeds about 1 cm (0.39 in) long.[3][4]
Phenology
editFlowering in Australia occurs from September to January, with fruits ripening around October to February.[4][5]
Taxonomy
editThis species was first described by Adrien-Henri de Jussieu in 1830. It has been known by many synonyms.[2]
The species epithet was given to honour French botanist Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré. The former genus name Dysoxylum comes from the Latin dys meaning "bad", and the Ancient Greek xylon meaning "wood", and refers to the unpleasant smell produced by some species. [6]
Distribution and habitat
editDidymocheton gaudichaudianus is native to central and eastern Malesia (Christmas Island, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, Maluku Islands, and the Philippines), Papuasia (New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands), Queensland, Australia from the Cape York Peninsula to the Mary River in south east Queensland, and some islands South-West Pacific (Vanuatu, the Samoan Islands, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna).[2] It grows in lowland rainforest up to 300 metres elevation.
Gallery
edit-
The compound leaf -
Foliage cluster -
Trunk -
Clusters of large pinnately compound leaves -
Developing fruit
References
edit- ^ IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group & Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). (2019). "Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T156217920A156217922. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T156217920A156217922.en. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Didymocheton gaudichaudianus A.Juss". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ a b c F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Mabberley, D.J. (2021). Sandgren, M.; Kodela, P.G. (eds.). "Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
- ^ "Didymocheton gaudichaudianus". iNaturalist. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 288. ISBN 9780958174213.
External links
edit
- View a map of recorded sightings of Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- See images of Dysoxylum gaudichaudianum on Flickriver