Leea nova-guineensis

Bandicoot berry
Foliage and fruit, Cairns, Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Vitales
Family: Vitaceae
Genus: Leea
Species:
L. nova-guineensis
Binomial name
Leea nova-guineensis
Synonyms[3]

Leea gracilis Lauterb.

Leea nova-guineensis, commonly known as bandicoot berry, is a plant in the family Vitaceae native to parts of Malesia and Oceania.

Description

The bandicoot berry is an evergreen shrub which usually grows to about 4 m (13 ft) high, but can occasionally be taller.[4][5] It is a multistemmed plant with large tripinnate leaves measuring up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long, while the individual leaflets measure up to 21 cm (8.3 in) long by 9 cm (3.5 in) wide.[4][5] The stipules are quite large and may be up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long.[4] Flowers are produced in either terminal or leaf-opposed panicles.[5] They are quite small, around 3 mm (0.12 in) long, with five green or cream petals.[4][5] The fruit is a red, purple or black berry up to 15 mm (0.59 in) diameter.[4][5]

Taxonomy

This plant was originally considered to be part of a very widespread population of Leea indica, however in 1907 the Dutch botanist Theodoric Valeton published a paper in which the plants of Malesia, Australia and the southwest Pacific were renamed as Leea nova-guineensis.[6] Much later, in 2012, a paper was published in which this species was given the new combination Leea novoguineensis,[7] which is recognised by Australian authorities,[1][2][4][8] but not by Plants of the World Online.[3]

Distribution and ecology

Leea nova-guineensis grows as an understory plant in rainforest, at elevations from sea level to 400 m (1,300 ft).[4][5] It is native to the Lesser Sunda Islands, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, the Bismark Archipelago, the Santa Cruz Islands, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the states of the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia.[3][4]

The fruit are reported as being eaten by Wompoo fruit doves.[5]

Conservation

This species is listed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science as least concern.[1] As of 9 July 2023, it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

  • Tripinnate leaf
    Tripinnate leaf
  • Large stipule
    Large stipule
  • Inflorescence
    Inflorescence
  • Ripening fruit
    Ripening fruit
  • Fruit and foliage
    Fruit and foliage
  • Leaf venation
    Leaf venation

References

  1. ^ a b c "Species profile—Leea novoguineensis". Queensland Department of Environment and Science. Queensland Government. 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Leea novoguineensis". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Leea nova-guineensis Valeton". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Leea novoguineensis". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 268. ISBN 9780958174213.
  6. ^ Valeton, Theodoris (1907). "Plantae papuanae". Bulletin du Département de l'Agriculture aux Indes Néerlandaises. 10: 31. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  7. ^ Molina, Jeanmaire E.; Wen, Jun; Struwe, Lena (2013). "Systematics and biogeography of the non-viny grape relative Leea (Vitaceae)". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 171 (2): 354–376. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01320.x.
  8. ^ "Leea novoguineensis". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, the Environment and Water: Canberra. 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2023.