Cupaniopsis wadsworthii
Cupaniopsis wadsworthii, sometimes commonly named duckfoot and scrub tuckeroo, is an Australian species of shrubs of the flowering plant family Sapindaceae. The grow naturally in rainforests and seasonally dry rainforests, noted as usually "on hill slopes in rocky soil", from Magnetic Island southwards to about Bulburin National Park, central eastern Queensland.[2][3]
| Cupaniopsis wadsworthii | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leaves and flowers of the tuckeroo at Mount Archer National Park Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Genus: | Cupaniopsis |
| Species: | C. wadsworthii |
| Binomial name | |
| Cupaniopsis wadsworthii (F.Muell.) Radlk.[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description
They grow as slender shrubs up to three metres tall with a stem diameter up to 50 cm (20 in). The leaves are pinnate and alternate with four or eight leaflets. The leaflets form a distinctive triangular shape, broad at the tip and terminating in a point at the petiole. In many plants, the broad apex carries two outer and one inner points, producing a pattern similar to the webbing between the toes of waterbirds, and giving rise the common name duckfoot.
The fruits are orange to yellow capsules with three lobes. Inside each lobe there is a glossy dark brown seed. Each seed is covered in a bright orange aril. Fruits ripen from October to December, attracting many birds.
References
- "Cupaniopsis wadsworthii (F.Muell.) Radlk.". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 1 Jan 2014.
- Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). "Cupaniopsis wadsworthii (F.Muell.) Radlk.". Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 484. ISBN 9780958174213. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 1 Jan 2014.
- Reynolds, Sally T. (1985). "Cupaniopsis wadsworthii (F.Muell.) Radlk.". Flora of Australia: Volume 25: Melianthaceae to Simaroubaceae (online version). Flora of Australia series. CSIRO Publishing / Australian Biological Resources Study. pages 56, 58, Map 68. ISBN 978-0-644-03724-2. Retrieved 1 Jan 2014.