Argophyllum cryptophlebum
Specimen held at Queensland Herbarium
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Argophyllaceae
Genus: Argophyllum
Species:
A. cryptophlebum
Binomial name
Argophyllum cryptophlebum
Zemann[2][3]
Synonyms[3]

Argophyllum nitidum var. fulvum F.M.Bailey

Argophyllum cryptophlebum is a plant in the Argophyllaceae family of the order Asterales, which is endemic to a small part of north eastern Queensland. It was described and named in 1907.

Description

Argophyllum cryptophlebum is an evergreen shrub growing up to 7 m (23 ft) tall. The new growth is rusty-brown in colour due to a dense covering of hairs.[4][5] The leaves are dark green and hairless above and silvery below, and they measure up to 13 cm (5.1 in) long by 6 cm (2.4 in) wide. They are arranged alternately, and held on petioles measuring from 1.3 to 3.8 cm (0.51 to 1.50 in) long.[4][5] They each have 6 to 9 lateral veins on either side of the midrib, and the leaf blades are broadly elliptic to broadly ovate in shape.[4][5] The leaf margins (edges) are finely toothed with between 7 and 14 teeth on either edge measuring up to 0.8 mm (0.031 in) long.[4][5]

The inflorescence is produced terminally, is much branched and densely hairy, and measures up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long. Flowers are white with petals about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long. The fruit is a capsule about 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long and 4 mm (0.16 in) wide.[4]

Phenology

Flowering has been recorded from July to December, and fruit have been observed from March to December.[4]

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1900 by the Australian botanist Frederick Manson Bailey[6] as Argophyllum nitidum var. fulvum.[2][5] His description based on material collected on the slopes of Mount Bellenden Ker in 1887 by W.A. Sayer, and published in his work The Queensland Flora.[7] In 1907 the species was given its current combination by the Austrian botanist Margarete Zemann.[6]

In a 2018 paper by botanists Anthony Russell Bean and Paul Irwin Forster, the genus Argophyllum in Australia was reviewed and the combination Argophyllum cryptophlebum was maintained. A lectotype for the species was also nominated in the paper.[4]

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in very small areas within the Wet Tropics of northeastern Queensland, north and south of Cairns. It has strict requirements of high rainfall (above 3,000 mm (120 in) p.a.), altitude above 600 m (2,000 ft), and soils derived from granite.[4][5] Correspondingly it is only found in the Cape Tribulation area and in the high coastal ranges immediately south of Cairns, where it grows in and on the margins of rainforest and alongside creeks.[4][5] The species' area of occupancy is calculated to be just 88 km2 (34 sq mi).[8]

Conservation

This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as near threatened.[1] As of 13 November 2023, it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

References

  1. 1 2 "Species profile—Argophyllum cryptophlebum". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Argophyllum cryptophlebum". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Argophyllum cryptophlebum Zeemann". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bean, A.R.; Forster, P.I. (2018). "A taxonomic revision of Argophyllum J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. (Argophyllaceae) in Australia" (PDF). Austrobaileya. 10 (2): 207–235. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Argophyllum cryptophlebum". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 Zemann, Margarete (1907). "Studien zu einer Monographie der Gattung Argophyllum Forst". Annalen des K.K. Naturhistorischen Hofmuseums. 22: 283.
  7. ↑ "Argophyllum nitidum var. fulvum". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Spatial portal". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
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