Wilkiea Explained

Wilkiea is a genus of flowering plants in the family Monimiaceae, and is native to Australia and New Guinea. Plants in this genus are monoecious or sometimes dioecious trees and shrubs, the leaves with many fine oil dots, male and female flowers in cymes or panicles, and oval black drupes.

Description

Plants in the genus Wilkeia are monoecious or dioecious trees or shrubs with sometimes toothed, papery to leathery leaves with many fine oil dots. The flowers are borne in leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets in cymes or panicles, usually with 3 to 9 flowers. Male flowers are more or less spherical, with 4 to 8 tepals usually with 4 to 8 stamens. Female flowers are flattened spherical, with minute tepals with many carpels with a short stigma. The fruit is an oval, black drupe about long.[1] [2]

Taxonomy

The genus Wilkiea was first formally described in 1857 by Ferdinand von Mueller in the journal Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria.[3] The first species he described (the type species), was W. calyptrocalyx,[4] now known as Wilkiea macrophylla (Tul.) A.DC..[5]

The genus appears to have an Australian or southern origin.[6]

Species list

The following species of Wilkiea are accepted by Plants of the World Online as at April 2024:[7]

Formerly placed here

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Whiffin . Trevor P. . Foreman . Donald B. . Wilkiea . Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra . 5 May 2024.
  2. Web site: Harden . Gwen J. . Genus Wilkiea . Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney . 5 May 2024.
  3. Web site: Wilkiea . Australian Plant Name Index . 5 May 2024.
  4. von Mueller . Ferdinand . Account of some new Australian plants. . Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria . 1857 . 2 . 64 . 5 May 2024.
  5. Web site: Wilkiea macrophylla . Plants of the World Online . 5 May 2024.
  6. Book: Floyd, A. G. . Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia . Alexander Floyd . Terania Rainforest Publishing . . 2008 . 2nd, Revised . 978-0-958943-67-3 . 226 . 2010-04-21.
  7. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:27118-1 Wilkiea F.Muell.
  8. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77195329-1 Pendressia wardellii (F.Muell.) Whiffin