Steganthera laxiflora
| Steganthera laxiflora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In rainforest near Cairns, Queensland | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Laurales |
| Family: | Monimiaceae |
| Genus: | Steganthera |
| Species: | S. laxiflora |
| Binomial name | |
| Steganthera laxiflora | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Steganthera laxiflora, commonly known as tetra beech, is a species of plant in the family Monimiaceae. It is native to eastern tropical Queensland, Australia.
Description
Steganthera laxiflora is a tree that can grow up to 20 m (66 ft) tall. Leaves are arranged in opposite pairs on the twigs and are finely hairy on both sides. They measure up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long and 8 cm (3.1 in) wide, and are generally elliptic to oblong-elliptic.[4][5]
This species is monoecious, meaning that flowers are either male or female, and both types are present on each plant.[6] Male inflorescences grow up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long with between 5 and 60 globular flowers, each about 3 mm (0.12 in) wide; female inflorescences are similar.
The fruit is a black ellipsoid drupe up to 18 mm (0.7 in) long and 13 mm (0.5 in) wide containing a single seed.[4][5]
Taxonomy
The species was first described by George Bentham as Kibara laxiflora. It was transferred to its current name in Flora of Australia in 2007.[7]
Two subspecies are recognised, Steganthera laxiflora subsp. lewisensis and the autonym Steganthera laxiflora subsp. laxiflora.[3]
Conservation
As of June 2026, this species has been assessed to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and by the Queensland Government under its Nature Conservation Act.[1][8]
Ecology
The fruit are eaten by fruit doves, including the wompoo fruit dove and superb fruit dove, and by cassowaries.[9]
Gallery
Leaves
Hairy stem
Inflorescences
Trunk
References
- 1 2 IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). (2021). "Steganthera laxiflora". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021 e.T192495641A192495643. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T192495641A192495643.en.
- ↑ "Steganthera laxiflora (Benth.) Whiffin & Foreman". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Steganthera laxiflora (Benth.) Whiffin & Foreman". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Steganthera laxiflora". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- 1 2 Whiffin, T.; Foreman, D.B. (2022). "Steganthera laxiflora (Benth.) Whiffin & Foreman". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Philipson, W.R. (1993). "Monimiaceae". In Kubitzki, Klaus (ed.). Flowering Plants, Dicotyledons: Magnoliid, Hamamelid, and Caryophyllid Families. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Vol. II. Berlin: Springer. p. 435. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-02899-5. ISBN 978-3-642-08141-5.
- ↑ Whiffin, T.P.; Foreman, D.B. (2007). "Appendix". In Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.). Winteraceae to Platanaceae. Flora of Australia. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing. p. 452. ISBN 978 0 643 05967 2.
- ↑ "Taxon - Steganthera laxiflora". WildNet. Queensland Government. 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 319. ISBN 978-0-9581742-1-3.
Tetrasynandra laxiflora
External links
- Map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- Observations of this species on iNaturalist
- Images of this species on Flickriver.com