Pararchidendron pruinosum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pararchidendron pruinosum |
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| Snow-wood at Barrenjoey, Australia | |
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Pararchidendron
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P. pruinosum
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| Pararchidendron pruinosum (Benth.) I.C.Nielsen
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Pararchidendron pruinosum is a rainforest tree that grows in Australia. It is also found in New Guinea and Indonesia. People often call it Snow-wood, Tulip Siris, or Monkey's Earrings.
This tree grows in many places, like tropical, sub-tropical, and warm temperate rainforests. It can also be found near the coast and rivers. Snow-wood is special because it helps the soil. Like many plants in its family, it works with tiny bacteria in its roots. These bacteria take nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil. In return, the tree gives the bacteria food. You can even see it growing on sand near Seven Mile Beach in New South Wales.
What is Snow-wood?
The Snow-wood is a small to medium-sized tree. It can grow up to 15 meters (about 50 feet) tall. Its trunk can be as wide as 35 centimeters (about 14 inches). The trunk has a reddish color, and its leaves are delicate and fern-like. This gives the tree a very pretty look.
The trunk of the Pararchidendron pruinosum is straight and round. It does not have wide supports at its base. The bark is a dark reddish-brown color. It has small, corky bumps all over it.
Its Leaves
The leaves of the Snow-wood grow in an alternating pattern along the stem. They are also bipinnate, which means they are divided twice. The main leaf stalk has one to three pairs of smaller leaf stalks. These smaller stalks grow opposite each other or very close to it.
Each small stalk has five to eleven leaflets. These leaflets are arranged alternately. They are smooth and green on both sides, though slightly lighter underneath. Each leaflet is shaped like a spearhead, about four to five centimeters long. They are 13 to 20 millimeters wide. The tip of the leaflet narrows to a point, and its base is slanted. You can easily see the veins on the leaves. The main vein is raised on both the top and bottom surfaces.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of the Snow-wood are fluffy and white or greenish. They have a pleasant smell. As they get older, they turn yellow. These flowers bloom from October to January.
The fruit of the Snow-wood grows in a pod. It ripens between February and June. These pods look a lot like the fruit pods of an Acacia tree. They are very twisted and flat. Inside, the seeds are black, shiny, and mostly flat. They have an oval shape. If you want to grow new trees, it's a good idea to scratch the seeds a little first. This helps them sprout. Growing them from seed can be slow, but it usually works well.
- Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press 1989, ISBN: 0-909605-57-2
See also
In Spanish: Pararchidendron para niños
