Trochocarpa cunninghamii

Trochocarpa cunninghamii is a flowering plant species of the family Ericaceae. It is commonly referred to as straggling purpleberry due to its round flattened mauve drupe fruits.[5] This woody shrub is usually found in the understorey of rainforests and subalpine forests in the Central Plateau and western Tasmania, and is endemic to Tasmania.[5]

Trochocarpa cunninghamii
Trochocarpa cunninghamii in bloom on Tarn Shelf Track, Mt Field National Park, Tasmania February 2020
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Trochocarpa
Species:
T. cunninghamii
Binomial name
Trochocarpa cunninghamii
Occurrence records from Atlas of Living Australia[3]
Synonyms[4]
  • Decaspora cunninghamii DC.
  • Trochocarpa disticha var. cunninghamii (DC.) Benth.

Description

T. cunninghamii is a low scrambling prostrate shrub with reddish new growth.[6][5] Leaves are 5-10mm long (with 5-7 veins visible from the underside of the leaf) at alternate at right angles to the stem, with a dark green adaxial (upper) surface and a lighter abaxial (lower) surface.[7][5] In summer, pink and white tubular flowers bloom and have dangling spikes near the end of branches.[5] The purplish blue-black fruit is present year-round and is described as round flattened mauve drupes about 1 cm in diameter.[6][5][8]

The foliage of this species can be mistaken for Trochocarpa gunnii as it has a similar appearance.[7] T. cunninghamii can be easily distinguished from T. gunnii by its growth habit; T. gunnii is a larger (3–6 metres high, 2–3 metres wide) erect dense to open shrub to small tree, whereas T. cunninghamii has a low scrambling habit (0.2-1.5 metres high, 0.5–2 metres wide).[5] T. cunninghamii is more commonly found at high altitudes than T. gunnii.[7] Trochocarpa disticha also closely resembles T. cunninghamii, however T. disticha is a large shrub with larger leaves, restricted to far southeast Tasmania and regarded as uncommon.[7]

Distinguishing features
  • Conspicuous reddish new growth
  • Leaves at right angles to the stem
  • 5-7 veins visible from the underside of the leaf
  • Scrambling (prostrate) shrub
  • Understorey plant
  • Endemic to Tasmania

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1839 as Decaspora cunninghami,[1][9] and in 1963 was transferred to the genus, Trochocarpa, by Winifred Curtis.[1][2] The Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria accepts this name.[1] However, Plants of the World online considers Trochocarpa cunninghamii to be a synonym of Trochocarpa disticha Spreng.[10]

Etymology

The genus name, Trochocarpa, is derived from Greek; trochos (wheel) and carpos (fruit).[11] This is attributed to the separation of the fruit which is arranged into "ten single-seeded stones", likened to spokes on a wheel.[11]

The species name, cunninghamii, honours English botanist Allan Cunningham, who circumnavigated Australia between 1816 and 1839 to collect plants[12][13].

Habitat and Distribution

T. cunninghamii is found only in subalpine forests and rainforest in Tasmania.[5][3] It is commonly found in the understorey layer of forests in the Central Plateau and western Tasmania.[5] T. cunninghamii can also sometimes be found in alpine woodland and rocky habitats at high altitudes.[6] Almost all recorded sightings are restricted to the western half of Tasmania.[3]

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References
  1. "Trochocarpa cunninghamii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. Curtis, W.M. (1963), Angiospermae: Lythraceae to Epacridaceae. The Student's Flora of Tasmania 2: 431, 463
  3. "Trochocarpa cunninghamii". bie.ala.org.au. Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  4. Trochocarpa cunninghamii (DC.) W.M.Curtis in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset doi:10.15468/39omei accessed via https://www.gbif.org/species/4010639 on 2020-02-24.
  5. Howells, Christine (2012). Tasmania's natural flora (Second ed.). Hobart, Tasmania. ISBN 978-0-909830-66-3. OCLC 803605684.
  6. "Communities". www.understorey-network.org.au. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  7. "Key to Tasmanian Dicots". www.utas.edu.au. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  8. "Trochocarpa cunninghamii". Alpine Garden Society. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  9. Candolle, A.P. de (1839). Candolle, A.P. de (ed.). "Epacridaceae". Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis. 7 (2): 758.
  10. "Trochocarpa cunninghamii (DC.) W.M.Curtis | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  11. Wapstra, Mark (2010). Tasmanian plant names unravelled. Launceston Tasmania: Fullers Bookshop Pty Ltd. p. 126. ISBN 9780980472028.
  12. "Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority - Crotalaria cunninghamii". www.bgpa.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
  13. "Allan Cunningham (botanist)", Wikipedia, 2020-01-07, retrieved 2020-03-19
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