Actephila foetida is a plant in the family Phyllanthaceae that is found only in a very restricted range within the Wet Tropics bioregion of Queensland, Australia. It was first described in 1927.
| Actephila foetida | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Cairns Botanic Gardens, November 2023 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Phyllanthaceae |
| Genus: | Actephila |
| Species: | A. foetida
|
| Binomial name | |
| Actephila foetida | |
Description edit
Actephila foetida is an evergreen shrub growing to about 2 to 3 m (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) tall. The large fleshy leaves can reach 40 cm (16 in) long and 22 cm (8.7 in) wide, with a petiole about 8–9 cm (3.1–3.5 in) long. they are dark green above and paler below, and the lateral veins are distinct on both surfaces.
Flowers are about 4 mm (0.16 in) diameter and produced from wart-like growths on the twigs. Male flowers have five sepals about 2.5 mm (0.10 in) long and no petals, the stamens emerge from a white, irregularly five-lobed disc. Female flowers have a bi-lobed stigma emerging from the centre of the disc. The fruit is a capsule about 13 mm (0.51 in) long and 20 mm (0.79 in) diameter.[4][5][6]
Phenology edit
This species flowers and fruits from November to March.[4]
Taxonomy edit
This species was first described by the Czech botanist Karel Domin in 1927, based on material he collected himself in 1909 at Harvey's Creek, about 50 km (31 mi) south of Cairns.[2]
Etymology edit
The generic name Actephila comes from the Greek aktḗ, coast, and phileo, to love. The species epithet foetida comes from Latin and means evil-smelling. It is a reference to the odour produced by the male flowers.[4][6]
Distribution and habitat edit
Actephila foetida is found in two widely separated populations, one each to the north and south of Cairns. The northern population occurs in the Cow Bay area between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation, and the southern population occurs between Harvey Creek and Babinda. The species' total area of occupancy is just 28 km2 (11 sq mi).[a] The plant grows in undisturbed rainforest as an understorey shrub, at altitudes from sea level to about 100 m (330 ft).[4][5][7][8]
Conservation edit
This species is listed by the Queensland Government's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation as vulnerable.[1] As of 20 March 2024[update], it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Gallery edit
-
Habit -
Male flowers -
Foliage and flowers -
Fruit -
X-ray of leaf
References edit
- ^ a b "Species profile—Actephila foetida". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Actephila foetida". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Actephila foetida Domin". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Forster, Paul I. (2022). Kodela, P.G. (ed.). "Actephila foetida". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Actephila foetida". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 170. ISBN 978-0958174213.
- ^ "Search: species: Actephila foetida | Occurrence records". Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Australian Government. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Spatial Portal". Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
Notes edit
External links edit
- View a map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- View images of this species on Flickriver.com