Ceratopetalum

Ceratopetalum is a genus of nine species of shrub and tree in the family Cunoniaceae. They are found along the eastern coast of Australia and extend north to New Guinea. Two Australian species are among the best known, one being C. apetalum or coachwood, renowned as a timber tree, and C. gummiferum, the New South Wales Christmas bush.

Ceratopetalum
C. gummiferum in flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Cunoniaceae
Genus: Ceratopetalum
D. Don[1]
Species

See text

Ceratopetalum gummiferum

Both New South Wales Christmas bush (C. gummiferum) and coachwood (C. apetalum) are widespread from south-east Queensland to the south coast of New South Wales, whereas the other extant Australian species are largely confined to high-altitude montane habitats in north-east Australia. These restricted distributions have been hypothesised to be refugia from cycles of changing climate during the Pleistocene.[2]

Species

Fossil evidence

Fossil evidence for Ceratopetalum species has been found in Eocene deposits in South Australia.[4] Named fossil species include Ceratopetalum maslinensis and Ceratopetalum westermannii.

References
  1. "Ceratopetalum Sm". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. Rozefelds, Andrew C.; Barnes, Richard W. (2002). "The Systematic and Biogeographical Relationships of Ceratopetalum (Cunoniaceae) in Australia and New Guinea". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 163 (4): 651–673. doi:10.1086/339716.
  3. Tang, K. K.; Smith, S. Y.; Atkinson, B. A. (2022). "Extending beyond Gondwana: Cretaceous Cunoniaceae from western North America". New Phytologist (onlinie). doi:10.1111/nph.17976. hdl:2027.42/172025.
  4. Barnes RW, Hill RS.Ceratopetalum fruits from Australian cainozoic sediments and their significance for petal evolution in the genus. Australian Systematic Botany 12(5) 635 - 645.


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