Correa lawrenceana
Encyclopedia
Correa lawrenceana, also known as Mountain Correa, is a shrub or small tree which is endemic to 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...
.
Description
Correa lawrenceana grows to between 0.6 and 9 metres in height, and has leaves with a shiny, dark-green upper surface which are 2.5 to 10.5 cm in length and about 1 to 7 cm wide. The flowers are produced during the winter and spring and also sporadically throughout the year and are typically yellow-green although other colour forms are known.Taxonomy
The species was first described in 1834 by English botanist William Jackson HookerWilliam Jackson Hooker
Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
who gave it the name Correa lawrenciana. The specific epithet honours Tasmanian botanist Robert William Lawrence
Robert William Lawrence
Robert William Lawrence , first-born son of William Effingham Lawrence, was born and educated in England. In 1825 he arrived in Van Diemen’s Land...
(1807-1833) who, together with Ronald Gunn, collected the plant material sent to Hooker. The spelling of the name was standardised to Correa lawrenceana under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature in 1998.
A subgenus of Correa (Correa subgenus Persistens Othman, Duretto and G.J. Jord.) was formally described in 2011 comprising two species, C. lawrenceana and C. baeuerlenii
Correa baeuerlenii
Correa baeuerlenii is a shrub which is endemic to New South Wales in Australia. It is commonly known as Chef's-hat Correa due to the shape of its greenish-yellow flowers...
Unlike other Correa species, C. lawrenciana does not readily form hybrids with other species.
Eight varieties are currently recognised:
- C. lawrenceana var. cordifolia Paul G.Wilson, Pink Mountain-correa. Flowers are pink with yellow tips or, more rarely, entirely yellow. The type specimen was collected from Mount DromedaryMount GulagaMount Gulaga is one of the highest mountains on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It rises above the village of Central Tilba and is within the Gulaga National Park...
in New South Wales in 1953. Other South Coast localities where it occurs include BermaguiBermagui, New South WalesBermagui is a town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. The name is derived from the Dyirringanj word, permageua, possibly meaning 'canoe with paddles'....
, Bodalla and MiltonMilton, New South WalesMilton is a town in the City of Shoalhaven on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia, not far from Ulladulla. It was founded in the middle of the 19th century...
. The variety is listed as "vulnerable" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria.
- C. lawrenceana var. genoensis Paul G.Wilson, Genoa River Correa. This variety is listed as "endangered" under the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
and "threatened" in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. It occurs on the banks of the Genoa RiverGenoa RiverThe Genoa River is a river in the states of Victoria and New South Wales in Australia.-References:...
, including Coopracambra National ParkCoopracambra National ParkCoopracambra is a national park in eastern Victoria, Australia, 380 kilometres east of Melbourne....
in Victoria, and the adjoining South East Forest National ParkSouth East Forest National ParkSouth East Forest is a national park in New South Wales , 378 km southwest of Sydney. It features high quality old growth eucalyptus forest and remnant patches of temperate rainforest....
in New South Wales.
- C. lawrenceana var. glandulifera Paul G.Wilson The type specimen was collected from SpringbrookSpringbrook, QueenslandSpringbrook is a suburb, mountain and plateau in the Gold Coast hinterland of South East Queensland. The highest point, known as Springbrook Mountain is high...
in Queensland in 1929.
- Correa lawrenceana var. grampianaCorrea lawrenciana var. grampianaCorrea lawrenceana var. grampiana, commonly known as Grampians Mountain-correa, is a variety of Correa lawrenceana endemic to Victoria in Australia. It grows to 2.5 metres tall. Leaves are about 40 mm long and 17 mm wide and are dark green on the upper surface, while the lower surface is covered...
Paul G.Wilson, Grampians Correa. The type specimen was collected in 1986 from Mount William in Victoria, where it is found growing among rocks. It is listed as "rare" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria.
- C. lawrenciana. var. latrobeana (F.Muell. ex Hannaford) Paul G.Wilson This was originally described as C. latrobeana, based on material collected near the Delatite RiverDelatite RiverThe Delatite River is a tributary of the Goulburn River in Australia.The river rises between the ski resort mountains of Mount Stirling and Mount Buller on the Western edge of the Victorian Alps...
in Victoria in 1853. It occurs in south-eastern New South Wales including near DelegateDelegate, New South WalesDelegate is a small town in New South Wales, Australia in Bombala Shire, south of the state capital, Sydney. Delegate lies just a few kilometres from the state border between New South Wales and Victoria. At the 2006 census, Delegate had a population of 306 people. The township of Delegate lies on...
and across the border with Victoria in a south-westerly direction through locations including BuchanBuchan, VictoriaBuchan is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on Buchan Road, in the Shire of East Gippsland near the Snowy River. At the 2006 census, Buchan and the surrounding area had a population of 326....
, Mount Buffalo, Mount Baw BawMount Baw BawMount Baw Baw is a mountain in Victoria, Australia. Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort is an Unincorporated area of Victoria surrounded by the Shire of Baw Baw.-Location:...
, WarburtonWarburton, VictoriaWarburton is a town in Victoria, Australia, 72 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Warburton had a population of 2288....
and Healesville then extending to the south-west of Melbourne as far as the Otway Ranges.
- C. lawrenceana Hook. var. lawrenceana. Plants in Tasmania are identified as this variety. Those in the north-east of the state have narrow leaves, while those from the south and west have wider leaves with hairy undersides.
- C. lawrenceana var. macrocalyx (Blakely) Paul G.Wilson This was originally described as Correa macrocalyx, based on material collected from Patonga on the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales in 1923. It is also found to the south at Minnamurra.
- C. lawrenceana var. rosea Paul G.Wilson, Red Mountain-correa, a sub-alpine variety with pale red flowers from the Snowy MountainsSnowy MountainsThe Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....
in southern New South Wales. The type specimen was collected near the Geehi River on the Alpine WayAlpine WayThe Alpine Way is a State highway in New South Wales, Australia.The Alpine Way starts near Jindabyne on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains. It runs south-west past Thredbo and crosses the crest of the Great Dividing Range at Dead Horse Gap...
in 1958. It is listed as "rare" on the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Advisory List of Rare Or Threatened Plants In Victoria.
Distribution
The species is found in rainforestRainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
and sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
forest in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, 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 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...
.
Cultivation
Correa lawrenceana is suited to a cool, moist, partly shaded position and is known to tolerate frost and snow. It can be used as a screening plant and will attract honeyeaters to the garden.Plants are easily propagated from cuttings, whereas seed can be difficult.