Atractocarpus hirtus
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2021}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Speciesbox
|name = Hairy gardenia
|image = Atractocarpus hirtus 324148545.jpg
|image_caption =
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|status = LC
|status2 = LC
|status2_system = QLDNCA
|genus = Atractocarpus
|species = hirtus
|authority = (F.Muell.) Puttock{{R|APNI|POWO}}
|range_map = Atractocarpus-hirtus-distribution-map.png
|synonyms =
- Gardenia hirta F.Muell.
- Randia hirta (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
- Rothmannia hirta (F.Muell.) Fagerl.
}}
Atractocarpus hirtus, commonly known as the hairy gardenia or native loquat, is a plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae, a large family of some 6,500 species with a cosmopolitan distribution. This species is endemic to northeastern Queensland, Australia.
Description
The hairy gardenia is a straggly, woody, rainforest shrub growing up to {{convert|4|or|5|m|abbr=on}} tall. The stems, leaves and fruits are densely covered in soft hairs, hence the common name. Stipules are present and are around {{cvt|13|mm}} long. The lanceolate leaves are simple and opposite or 3-4 whorled, measuring around {{convert|18|cm|in||abbr=on}} long by {{convert|5|cm|abbr=on}} wide, dark green, and have between 11 and 14 lateral veins on either side of the midrib.
Flowers are pentamerous and actinomorphic, quite fragrant and borne in small terminal groups. The green calyx tube is about {{cvt|30|mm}} long with lobes reduced to small teeth. The corolla is white, the corolla tube is {{convert|25|-|30|mm|abbr=on}} long with five lobes (petals) measuring {{convert|20|-|30|mm|abbr=on}} in length. The anthers, which do not extend beyond the corolla tube, measure about {{convert|6|-|9|mm|in|abbr=on}} long; the pistil about {{convert|20|-|25|mm|in|abbr=on}} long.
This species is gynodioecious, that is, individual plants are either female or hermaphroditic.
The fruits of this plant are a densely hairy drupe, somewhat pear-shaped and measuring about {{cvt|20|mm}} in diameter by {{convert|30|to|50|mm|in|abbr=on}} long, including the attached calyx tube. The body of the fruit is orange and the calyx tube is green. They contain numerous seeds about {{cvt|7|mm}} long immersed in an orange pulp.
Flowering occurs from May to November, and fruits ripen from December to August.
Taxonomy
Atractocarpus hirtus was first described as Gardenia hirta in 1869 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his work Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae (vol. 7), from a specimen collected in 1867 by John Dallachy near the Tully River (then known as the Mackay River). Mueller later transferred it to the genus Randia in his publication Systematic Census of Australian Plants of 1882.
In a 1999 revision of the Australian species of Gardenia and Randia, published in Australian Systematic Botany, the Australian botanist C.F. Puttock reassigned this species and gave it the current combination Atractocarpus hirtus.
=Etymology=
The genus name Atractocarpus is derived from the Ancient Greek terms átraktos, meaning "spindle", and karpós meaning "fruit", and refers to the spindle-shaped fruit of the type species. The species epithet hirtus is a Latin word meaning "hairy".
Distribution and habitat
This species is endemic to a small part of the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics of Queensland, with a range extending from Cape Tribulation in the north to Hinchinbrook Island in the south. The altitudinal range is from sea level to around {{cvt|1000|m}}.
Conservation
Atractocarpus hirtus is listed as least concern by both the IUCN and the Queensland Government's Department of Environment and Science.
Gallery
File:Atractocarpus-hirtus-JL Dowe.jpg|Fruit
File:Atractocarpus hirtus foliage SF20277.jpg|Foliage
File:Atractocarpus hirtus 141864391.jpg|
File:Atractocarpus hirtus 98483673.jpg|Underside of foliage
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite web |url=https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/146883 |title=Atractocarpus hirtus |website=Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government |access-date=19 January 2024}}
{{cite web |title=Atractocarpus hirtus |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1008722-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=9 May 2021}}
{{cite web |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/Atractocarpus_hirtus.htm |title=Atractocarpus hirtus |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government |access-date=9 May 2021}}
{{cite web |url=https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species-search/details/?id=22154 |title=Species profile—Atractocarpus hirtus |website=Queensland Department of Environment and Science |publisher=Queensland Government |access-date=14 May 2021}}
{{cite web |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/rainforest/text/entities/rubiaceae.htm |title=Rubiaceae |website=Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants (RFK8) |publisher=Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government |access-date=10 May 2021}}
{{cite journal |last1=Puttock |first1=C.F. |last2=Quinn |first2=C.J. |title=Generic concepts in Australian Gardenieae (Rubiaceae): a cladistic approach |journal=Australian Systematic Botany |date=1999 |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=181–199 |doi=10.1071/SB98001 |url=https://www.publish.csiro.au/SB/SB98001 |access-date=16 May 2021|url-access=subscription }}
{{cite web |last1=von Mueller |first1=Ferdinand |title=Systematic Census of Australian Plants |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/37258570 |website=Biodiversity Heritage Library |access-date=16 May 2021 |page=74}}
}}
External links
- {{Wikispecies-inline |Atractocarpus hirtus |Atractocarpus hirtus}}
- {{Commons category-inline |Atractocarpus hirtus |Atractocarpus hirtus}}
- [https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Atractocarpus+hirtus#tab_mapView View a map] of recorded sightings of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- [https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?taxon_id=424394 View observations] of this species on iNaturalist
- [https://flickriver.com/search/Atractocarpus+hirtus View images] of this species on Flickriver
{{Taxonbar|from=Q15399422}}
Category:Endemic flora of Queensland
Category:Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller
Category:Taxa named by Christopher Francis Puttock