Bauerella facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bauerella |
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| Female flowers near Mullumbimby, New South Wales | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Sarcomelicope
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| Species: |
simplicifolia
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| Synonyms | |
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Sarcomelicope simplicifolia, also known as bauerella, hard aspen, or yellow-wood, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Rutaceae family, which includes citrus fruits. This plant is found only in eastern Australia, including Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
It can be a shrub or a small tree. It has oval-shaped leaves that grow in pairs. Its flowers are either male or female and grow in small groups. The fruit is a small, oval or round drupe, which is a fleshy fruit with a hard pit inside.
Contents
What Does it Look Like?
Sarcomelicope simplicifolia is usually a shrub or a small tree. It can grow up to 18 meters (about 59 feet) tall. Its trunk is round with bark that feels like cork and has cracks.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves grow in opposite pairs. They are shiny on top and lighter underneath. The leaves are shaped like an oval or an egg, about 3 to 17 cm (1.2 to 6.7 inches) long and 2 to 7 cm (0.8 to 2.8 inches) wide. They have a stem called a petiole that is 1 to 5 cm (0.4 to 2 inches) long.
The flowers grow in small groups where the leaves meet the stem. Some flowers are male, and some are female. Male flowers are about 3 to 3.5 mm long and have eight stamens (the parts that make pollen). Female flowers are a bit bigger, about 4 to 4.5 mm long.
Fruit and Seeds
This plant usually flowers from February to August. After flowering, it produces a drupe fruit. The fruit is about 10 to 15 mm long and contains seeds. The seeds themselves are about 5 to 7.5 mm long.
How it Got its Name
The plant was first officially described in 1833 by a scientist named Stephan Endlicher. He called it Vepris simplicifolia. This name came from plants he found on Norfolk Island.
Later, in 1982, another scientist, Thomas Gordon Hartley, changed its name. He renamed it Sarcomelicope simplicifolia. This is the name it is known by today.
Where it Grows
Sarcomelicope simplicifolia grows in warm rainforests. You can find it from the Mount Carbine area in northern Queensland down to Mount Dromedary in south-eastern New South Wales. It also grows on Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.
There is another type of this plant, called subspecies neoscotia, which grows in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
Who Eats its Fruit?
Many different birds enjoy eating the fruit of this plant. These include the green catbird and the white-headed pigeon.
Growing This Plant
It can be a bit tricky to grow this plant from seeds. First, you need to remove the seeds from the fruit. Then, soak the seeds in water for one or two weeks. After about six months, roughly half of the seeds might start to grow roots and shoots.
Images for kids
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Cullen americana fruit
See also
In Spanish: Cullen (planta) para niños
