Yellow wood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow wood |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Zanthoxylum
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| Species: |
pinnatum
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List
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The Yellow Wood (scientific name: Zanthoxylum pinnatum) is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Rutaceae family, which also includes citrus fruits. This tree naturally grows on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
The Yellow Wood tree has special leaves called pinnate leaves. This means the leaves have smaller leaflets arranged along a central stem, like a feather. It produces white flowers, both male and female, that grow in clusters where the leaves meet the stem. After flowering, the tree grows round, purple fruits called follicles. Each follicle holds one black seed inside.
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About the Yellow Wood Tree
The Yellow Wood tree usually grows up to 10 meters (about 33 feet) tall. Its leaves are pinnate, meaning they have several smaller leaflets. Each leaf typically has four to nine leaflets. These leaflets are shaped like oblongs or eggs and are slightly curved. They are usually between 50 and 80 millimeters (about 2 to 3 inches) long. They are also about 30 to 45 millimeters (about 1 to 1.7 inches) wide.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of the Yellow Wood tree grow in groups. These groups can be small or large. They appear where the leaves join the stem. The tree has separate male and female flowers.
Each flower has four egg-shaped sepals, which are like small leaves that protect the bud. These sepals are very tiny, only about 0.5 to 1 millimeter long. The flowers also have four or five white petals. These petals are shaped like a spearhead and are about 2.5 to 3 millimeters long.
The Yellow Wood tree flowers from February to March. After the flowers bloom, they turn into fruit. The fruit is a round, purple follicle. It is about 8 millimeters long. Inside each follicle, there is one black seed.
Tree Names and History (Taxonomy)
The scientific name for the Yellow Wood tree is Zanthoxylum pinnatum. The study of how living things are named and grouped is called Taxonomy.
This tree was first officially described in 1775. Two scientists, Johann Reinhold Forster and Georg Forster, gave it the name Blackburnia pinnata. They wrote about it in their book called Characteres Generum Plantarum.
Later, in 1917, another scientist named Walter Oliver changed its name. He renamed it Zanthoxylum pinnatum. This new name was published in a scientific paper called Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute.
Where Yellow Wood Grows (Distribution and Habitat)
The Yellow Wood tree grows in forests. It is found on two islands: Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. However, it is not a very common tree on either of these islands.
