Atractocarpus chartaceus
Encyclopedia
Atractocarpus chartaceus (Narrow-leaved Gardenia or Thin-leaved Gardenia) is a species
of flowering plant
in the Rubiaceae
family
from eastern Australia
. The habitat is the understorey of subtropical and tropical rainforest on fertile soils. The natural range of distribution is from the Richmond River, New South Wales to tropical Queensland
. This plant features beautifully scented flowers.
. The juvenile leaves are very thin and linear in shape. The adult leaves broad and reverse lanceolate, being narrower at the stem end, and measure 5 to 15 cm (2-6 in) long, 0.5 to 3 cm (0.2-1.2 in) wide. Leaves often marked by the trail of a leaf miner
. The mid rib is not raised on the upper surface, although the lateral veins are markedly raised on the upper surface. The midrib is raised under the leaf.
The creamy white flowers form from August to November; they are usually single at the end of branchlets, occasionally in pairs. Flowers fragrantly scented similar to the gardenia
. Flower stalks 2 to 5 mm long. The edible fruits mature from April to August, being an orange or red berry, 1.5 to 2 cm long. Many triangular seeds are set in a sweet pulp. Seeds 4 to 5 mm long. Regeneration from fresh seed is fairly slow but reliable.
originally described Atractocarpus chartaceus in 1860 as Gardenia chartacea, before giving it the name Randia chartacea in 1875 by which it was known for many years. The specific epithet chartacea refers to its thin and papery leaves. Then in 1999, the genus was revised by botanists Christopher Puttock and Christopher Quinn and the Narrow-leaved Gardenia gained its current binomial name.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
The Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, variously called the coffee family, madder family, or bedstraw family. The group contains many commonly known plants, including the economically important coffee , quinine , and gambier , and the horticulturally valuable madder , west indian jasmine ,...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
from eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The habitat is the understorey of subtropical and tropical rainforest on fertile soils. The natural range of distribution is from the Richmond River, New South Wales to tropical Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. This plant features beautifully scented flowers.
Description
Atractocarpus chartaceus is a shrub or a small tree, up to 6 metres (20 ft) in height, with a stem diameter of 8 cm (3 in). The trunk is crooked and asymmetrical at the base. The bark is brownish grey, and relatively smooth with some wrinkles or horizontal cracks. The tips of the branchlets have fawn hairs. The leaves are opposite on the stem, or whorledWhorl (botany)
In botany, a whorl is an arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, or branches in which all the parts are attached at the same point and surround or wrap around the stem.There are four whorls in a general flower...
. The juvenile leaves are very thin and linear in shape. The adult leaves broad and reverse lanceolate, being narrower at the stem end, and measure 5 to 15 cm (2-6 in) long, 0.5 to 3 cm (0.2-1.2 in) wide. Leaves often marked by the trail of a leaf miner
Leaf miner
Leaf miner is a term used to describe the larvae of many different species of insect which live in and eat the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths , sawflies and flies , though some beetles and wasps also exhibit this behavior.Like Woodboring beetles, leaf...
. The mid rib is not raised on the upper surface, although the lateral veins are markedly raised on the upper surface. The midrib is raised under the leaf.
The creamy white flowers form from August to November; they are usually single at the end of branchlets, occasionally in pairs. Flowers fragrantly scented similar to the gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
Gardenia jasminoides, is a fragrant flowering evergreen tropical plant, a favorite in gardens worldwide. It originated in Asia and is most commonly found growing in Vietnam, Southern China, Taiwan, Japan and India...
. Flower stalks 2 to 5 mm long. The edible fruits mature from April to August, being an orange or red berry, 1.5 to 2 cm long. Many triangular seeds are set in a sweet pulp. Seeds 4 to 5 mm long. Regeneration from fresh seed is fairly slow but reliable.
Uses
The small size, scented flowers and attractive fruit makes it suitable as garden plant. It prefers some shade and good drainage in cultivation.Taxonomy
German naturalist and Government Botanist for Victoria Ferdinand von MuellerFerdinand von Mueller
Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, KCMG was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.-Early life:...
originally described Atractocarpus chartaceus in 1860 as Gardenia chartacea, before giving it the name Randia chartacea in 1875 by which it was known for many years. The specific epithet chartacea refers to its thin and papery leaves. Then in 1999, the genus was revised by botanists Christopher Puttock and Christopher Quinn and the Narrow-leaved Gardenia gained its current binomial name.