Rhaphidophora australasica, commonly known as needle berry, is a plant in the arum family Araceae that is only found in the Wet Tropics bioregion of northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is a semi-epiphytic, robust, herbaceous, root climber reaching about 30 m (98 ft) tall. The dark green leaves are oblanceolate to elliptic and measure up to 40 cm (16 in) long by 14 cm (5.5 in) wide. The inflorescence is a spadix about 6–8 cm (2.4–3.1 in) long, enclosed in a spathe about 13 cm (5.1 in) long.[4][5]
| Needle berry | |
|---|---|
| |
| In rainforest near Cape Tribulation | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Araceae |
| Genus: | Rhaphidophora |
| Species: | R. australasica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rhaphidophora australasica | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
Taxonomy edit
This species was first described in 1897 by the Australian botanist Frederick Manson Bailey, and published in the Queensland Agricultural Journal.[2]
Distribution and habitat edit
The needle berry occurs in rainforest from around Cooktown south to about Ingham, at altitudes from sea level to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[4][5]
Conservation edit
This species is listed by the Queensland Government's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation as least concern.[1] As of 1 April 2024[update], it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Gallery edit
-
Habit -
Leaf blade -
Two spadices (spathes absent) -
Spadix with spathe
References edit
- ^ a b "Species profile—Rhaphidophora australasica". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Rhaphidophora australasica". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Rhaphidophora australasica F.M.Bailey". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b Hay, A. (2022). "Rhaphidophora australasica". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Rhaphidophora australasica". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
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