Medicosma forsteri facts for kids

Medicosma forsteri is a special kind of small tree. It belongs to the Rutaceae family, which also includes citrus trees like oranges and lemons! This tree is only found in a small area of Queensland, Australia. It has pretty oval-shaped leaves and creamy white flowers that grow alone or in small groups where the leaves meet the stem.

What Does Medicosma Forsteri Look Like?

This tree usually grows to about 12 meters (about 39 feet) tall. Its leaves are usually opposite each other on the stem. They are shaped like a narrow oval, wider at one end and narrower at the base. Each leaf is about 6 to 14 centimeters (2.4 to 5.5 inches) long and 1.7 to 4.5 centimeters (0.7 to 1.8 inches) wide. They have a small stalk called a petiole, which is about 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters (0.2 to 1 inch) long.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers grow either by themselves or in small groups. They are usually attached directly to the stem (this is called sessile), or they might have a very short stalk, called a pedicel, up to 2 millimeters long. The small leaf-like parts at the base of the flower, called sepals, are about 1.5 to 2 millimeters long. They are covered with soft, flat hairs on the outside.

The main parts of the flower, the petals, are cream-coloured and about 5 millimeters long. They also have flat hairs on their back and part of their front. Even after the flower turns into fruit, the petals stay on and grow a little bigger, to about 6.5 millimeters. This tree has been seen flowering in April. Its fruit is a special kind of dry fruit called a follicle, which is about 6.5 millimeters long.

How Scientists Named Medicosma Forsteri

Scientists give every living thing a unique two-part name, like a first and last name. This is called binomial nomenclature. The name Medicosma forsteri was first officially described in 1985. This was done by a scientist named Thomas Gordon Hartley. He wrote about it in a science journal called the Australian Journal of Botany.

The tree was named after Paul Irwin Forster. He was the person who collected the first samples of this tree in 2000 near a place called Mount Mellum. These first samples are very important and are called the "type specimens" because they help scientists identify the species.

Where Does Medicosma Forsteri Live?

This special tree is only found in one specific place in Queensland, Australia. This means it is endemic to that small area. It grows at an altitude of about 220 meters (about 720 feet) above sea level. Its favourite home is in rainforests. In these rainforests, a type of palm tree called the bangalow palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) is very common.

Is Medicosma Forsteri Safe?

The Queensland Government has a special law called the Nature Conservation Act 1992. Under this law, Medicosma forsteri is classified as being of "least concern." This means that scientists believe there are enough of these trees in the wild, and they are not currently worried about them disappearing.