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Semecarpus australiensis
Semecarpus australiensis, commonly known as the tar tree, native cashew, marking nut, or cedar plum, is a species of tree in the cashew and mango family Anacardiaceae, native to parts of Melanesia and northern Australia. Contact with the plant can cause serious allergic reactions, a common characteristic of this family.
The tar tree is a large rainforest tree up to 40 m (130 ft) in height. The trunk is generally straight and cylindrical, and marked with numerous oval-shaped lenticels arranged in more or less vertical lines. When cut or damaged the trunk and branches produce a tar-like exudate which turns black on exposure to the air.
The leaves are up to 30 cm (12 in) long by wide 12 cm (4.7 in) with prominent pale yellow veins. They are dark green and glabrous on the upper surface and chalky blue-green (glaucous) underneath.
The flowers are pentamerous and are quite small; petals on the male flowers are about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, while those on female flowers measure up to 4 mm (0.16 in) long. Flowering occurs in spring (September to November) and fruits are produced through the summer.
The fruits are a true nut attached beneath a colourful fleshy receptacle. To the casual observer it appears to be a "fruit" (the receptacle) with a "seed" (the nut) on the outside. The receptacle is actually the swollen flower stem or pedicel and is much larger than the nut (see images below). Neither are edible to humans in their raw state due to the presence of highly irritant resins.
Semecarpus australiensis was first described by the German botanist Adolf Engler. His treatment was published in volume 4 of Monographiae Phanerogamarum in 1883.
The genus name Semecarpus is from the Latin semi-, meaning half, and the Ancient Greek κᾰρπός (karpós), meaning fruit. It is a reference to the appearance of the fruit. The species epithet means "from Australia".
The natural range of Semecarpus australiensis is from the Moluccas in the west, into New Guinea, the Bismark Archipelago, Vanuatu and New Caledonia in the east; and south to the coastal parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia.
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Semecarpus australiensis
Semecarpus australiensis, commonly known as the tar tree, native cashew, marking nut, or cedar plum, is a species of tree in the cashew and mango family Anacardiaceae, native to parts of Melanesia and northern Australia. Contact with the plant can cause serious allergic reactions, a common characteristic of this family.
The tar tree is a large rainforest tree up to 40 m (130 ft) in height. The trunk is generally straight and cylindrical, and marked with numerous oval-shaped lenticels arranged in more or less vertical lines. When cut or damaged the trunk and branches produce a tar-like exudate which turns black on exposure to the air.
The leaves are up to 30 cm (12 in) long by wide 12 cm (4.7 in) with prominent pale yellow veins. They are dark green and glabrous on the upper surface and chalky blue-green (glaucous) underneath.
The flowers are pentamerous and are quite small; petals on the male flowers are about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, while those on female flowers measure up to 4 mm (0.16 in) long. Flowering occurs in spring (September to November) and fruits are produced through the summer.
The fruits are a true nut attached beneath a colourful fleshy receptacle. To the casual observer it appears to be a "fruit" (the receptacle) with a "seed" (the nut) on the outside. The receptacle is actually the swollen flower stem or pedicel and is much larger than the nut (see images below). Neither are edible to humans in their raw state due to the presence of highly irritant resins.
Semecarpus australiensis was first described by the German botanist Adolf Engler. His treatment was published in volume 4 of Monographiae Phanerogamarum in 1883.
The genus name Semecarpus is from the Latin semi-, meaning half, and the Ancient Greek κᾰρπός (karpós), meaning fruit. It is a reference to the appearance of the fruit. The species epithet means "from Australia".
The natural range of Semecarpus australiensis is from the Moluccas in the west, into New Guinea, the Bismark Archipelago, Vanuatu and New Caledonia in the east; and south to the coastal parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia.