| Brown damson | |
|---|---|
| |
| At Holloways Beach, Queensland | |
| Conservation status | |
| Least Concern (NCA) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Combretaceae |
| Genus: | Terminalia |
| Species: | T. arenicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Terminalia arenicola Byrnes | |
Terminalia arenicola, commonly known as beach almond or brown damson, is a tree in the family Combretaceae which is endemic to Queensland in Australia.
Description
Terminalia arenicola is a small to medium-sized tree growing up to around 10 m (33 ft) high, the trunk is grey and tessellated, branches are often sympodial.
The leaves are obovate, discolorous, spirally arranged and clustered towards the ends of the branches. They may be up to 22 cm (8.7 in) long and 14 cm (5.5 in) wide. Domatia are usually present, as well as glands on the leaf underside near the junction with the petiole.
The inflorescence is an axillary spike or raceme, which carries numerous pentamerous white or cream flowers measuring about 7 mm (0.28 in) diameter. The flowers near the base of the spike are bisexual whilst those near the apex are male.
The fruit is a drupe, at maturity measuring up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long, 25 mm (0.98 in) wide and 18 mm (0.71 in) high, with a short "beak" at the distal end. They are initially glaucous blue/green, becoming dark purple or red at maturity.
This species is very similar to Terminalia catappa, but is generally smaller in almost all respects.
Phenology
The brown damson is semi-deciduous and may be bare for a brief period in the spring (Sep-Oct). Flowering occurs from September to May and the fruit may ripen at any time of the year.
Taxonomy
This species was first described in 1977 by the Australian botanist Norman Brice Byrnes, and his nominated type was a specimen he collected near Townsville in 1971. His paper describing the new species, A Revision of Combretaceae in Australia, was published in the journal Contributions from the Queensland Herbarium. Prior to the publication of this new taxon, records of this species had been included with T. melanocarpa.
Etymology
The species epithet arenicola is from the Latin harēna, "sand", and -cola, "inhabitant", which refers to the beach habitat that is favoured by this tree.
Distribution and habitat
The brown damson is found in coastal forests in close proximity to beaches, often co-occurring with T. catappa and T. muelleri. The longitudinal range is stated in Flora of Australia as being from 16°S (i.e. in the vicinity of the Bloomfield River) to 20°S (near Bowen), while Byrnes' paper defines the range as being from 22°S (near Airlie Beach) northwards, with no northern limit declared.
Ecology
The fruit are eaten by cassowaries.
Conservation
This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as least concern. As of 1 February 2023, it has not been assessed by the IUCN.
Cultivation
This species, along with T.catappa, has been widely planted in coastal cities of northeast Queensland, on beaches and in streets and parks, as it provides good shade and beautification of these areas.
Gallery
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Fruit and foliage
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Trunk
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Flowers
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Fruit
References
- ^ "Species profile—Terminalia arenicola". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Terminalia arenicola". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Terminalia arenicola Byrnes". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Terminalia arenicola". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Pedley, L. (2022). "Terminalia arenicola". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Byrnes, N.B. (August 1977). "A Revision of Combretaceae in Australia". Contributions from the Queensland Herbarium. 20 (20): 1–88. JSTOR 41782020. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 127. ISBN 9780958174213.
- "TreePlotter". Cairns Regional Council’s Street and Park Tree Database. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
External links
Data related to Terminalia arenicola at Wikispecies
Media related to Terminalia arenicola at Wikimedia Commons- View a map of historical sightings of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- View images of this species on Flickriver
