Commersonia
Encyclopedia
Commersonia is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Malvaceae
. All occur in Australia
; 12 species are endemic there, whereas the other two occur also in Southeast Asia
and the western Pacific Islands
.
The genus is named after Philibert Commerson (1727–73) a French naturalist who sailed with Bougainville
on the expedition of 1766-69.
The most commonly grown species, C. bartramia is named after John Bartram
and known as the brown kurrajong or Christmas kurrajong because it flowers at Christmas. At 25 metres high with a girth of 50 centimetres it is a common garden plant in northern New South Wales
and southeastern Queensland
and grows on rainforest margins, often as regrowth after logging. Its foliage is very characteristically horizontally layered. Alex Floyd's book, Rainforest Trees of South-eastern Australia, notes its distribution is from the Bellinger River in northern NSW to Cape York and Malaysia. Floyd notes the fibrous bark was used by Australian aborigines to make nets for catching kangaroos and fish.
Most of the species in Commersonia have attractive heart-shaped leaves.
Species include :
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
. All occur in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
; 12 species are endemic there, whereas the other two occur also in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and the western Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
.
The genus is named after Philibert Commerson (1727–73) a French naturalist who sailed with Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
on the expedition of 1766-69.
The most commonly grown species, C. bartramia is named after John Bartram
John Bartram
*Hoffmann, Nancy E. and John C. Van Horne, eds., America’s Curious Botanist: A Tercentennial Reappraisal of John Bartram 1699-1777. Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 243. ....
and known as the brown kurrajong or Christmas kurrajong because it flowers at Christmas. At 25 metres high with a girth of 50 centimetres it is a common garden plant in northern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and southeastern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and grows on rainforest margins, often as regrowth after logging. Its foliage is very characteristically horizontally layered. Alex Floyd's book, Rainforest Trees of South-eastern Australia, notes its distribution is from the Bellinger River in northern NSW to Cape York and Malaysia. Floyd notes the fibrous bark was used by Australian aborigines to make nets for catching kangaroos and fish.
Most of the species in Commersonia have attractive heart-shaped leaves.
Species include :
- Commersonia argentea Guymer
- Commersonia bartramia (L.) Merr.
- Commersonia beeronensis Guymer
- Commersonia craurophylla (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
- Commersonia fraseriCommersonia fraseriCommersonia fraseri, commonly known as Blackfellow's Hemp or Brush Kurrajong is a common shrub or small tree of the mallow family found in eastern Australia. Growing up to a 8 metres tall, found in rainforest margins or in wet eucalyptus forests....
J.Gay - Commersonia gaudichaudiiJ.Gay
- Commersonia johnsonii Guymer
- Commersonia leichhardtii Benth.
- Commersonia macrostipulata Guymer
- Commersonia melanopetala F.Muell.
- Commersonia microphylla Benth.
- Commersonia pulchella Turcz.
- Commersonia rosea S.A.J.Bell & L.M.Copel.
- Commersonia rossii Guymer
- Commersonia stowardii S.Moore
- Commersonia tatei F.Muell. ex Tate
- Commersonia viscidula Guymer