Diploglottis
Encyclopedia
Diploglottis is a genus of 10 species of tree
in the soapberry family Sapindaceae
. Eight of the species are found in eastern Australia
, primarily as a rainforest
tree and the other two are in eastern Malesia
and New Caledonia
. Some species are known as native tamarind or small-leaved tamarind; they have no direct relationship with the true tamarind
.
They are distinguished by their deep, green leaflets which are arranged oppositely, and the leaflets form paripinnate
leaves.
One Australian species, D. cunninghamii
is grown as a street tree in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales
, principally Lismore
and is known locally as the native tamarind.
Another endemic Australian species is D. campbellii
, also known as the small-leaved tamarind, is rare and threatened and is restriced to a small number of sites each with a maximum of three trees per site. There are a total of 42 known mature wild trees in south-east Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. However, the tree, as a seedling, is readily available from nurseries in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, and in south-eastern Queensland. The small-leaved tamarind grows to 30 metres and has a compact canopy, making it good to use as a screening tree. It has small three-lobed fruit capsules. The fruit is edible and is commercially produced as bushfood
. It is red when ripe and can be made into jam.
Other species in this genus include
Diploglottis species are used as food plants by the hepialid
moth
s Aenetus ramsayi
and Aenetus scotti
.
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
in the soapberry family Sapindaceae
Sapindaceae
Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales. There are about 140-150 genera with 1400-2000 species, including maple, horse chestnut and lychee....
. Eight of the species are found in eastern 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...
, primarily as a rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
tree and the other two are in eastern Malesia
Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the boundaries of the Indomalaya ecozone and Australasia ecozone, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom.-Floristic province:...
and New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. Some species are known as native tamarind or small-leaved tamarind; they have no direct relationship with the true tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
.
They are distinguished by their deep, green leaflets which are arranged oppositely, and the leaflets form paripinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
leaves.
One Australian species, D. cunninghamii
Diploglottis cunninghamii
Diploglottis cunninghamii, known as the Native Tamarind is a common rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It is easily identified by the large sausage shaped leaves....
is grown as a street tree in the Northern Rivers area of 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...
, principally Lismore
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...
and is known locally as the native tamarind.
Another endemic Australian species is D. campbellii
Diploglottis campbellii
Diploglottis campbellii is a rainforest tree northern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. Growing to 30 metres tall, it is commonly known as the Small-leaved Tamarind. It is rare and threatened and is restricted to a small number of sites, each with a maximum of 3 trees per site...
, also known as the small-leaved tamarind, is rare and threatened and is restriced to a small number of sites each with a maximum of three trees per site. There are a total of 42 known mature wild trees in south-east Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales. However, the tree, as a seedling, is readily available from nurseries in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales, and in south-eastern Queensland. The small-leaved tamarind grows to 30 metres and has a compact canopy, making it good to use as a screening tree. It has small three-lobed fruit capsules. The fruit is edible and is commercially produced as bushfood
Bushfood
Bushfood traditionally relates to any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by the original inhabitants, the Australian Aborigines, but it is a reference to any native fauna/flora that is used for culinary and/or medicinal purposes regardless of which continent or culture it originates...
. It is red when ripe and can be made into jam.
Other species in this genus include
- Diploglottis australis - considered a synonym of D. cunninghamii
- D. berniana
- D. bracteata
- D. campbelliiDiploglottis campbelliiDiploglottis campbellii is a rainforest tree northern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. Growing to 30 metres tall, it is commonly known as the Small-leaved Tamarind. It is rare and threatened and is restricted to a small number of sites, each with a maximum of 3 trees per site...
- Small-leaved tamarind - D. cunninghamiana
- D. cunninghamiiDiploglottis cunninghamiiDiploglottis cunninghamii, known as the Native Tamarind is a common rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It is easily identified by the large sausage shaped leaves....
- Native tamarind - D. cunninghamii var. diphyllostegia
- D. diphyllostegia
- D. harpullioides
- D. macrantha
- D. smithii
Diploglottis species are used as food plants by the hepialid
Hepialidae
The Hepialidae is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths.-Taxonomy and systematics:...
moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s Aenetus ramsayi
Aenetus
Aenetus is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Most species have green or blue forewings and reddish hindwings but some are predominantly brown or white...
and Aenetus scotti
Aenetus
Aenetus is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 24 described species found in Indonesia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand. Most species have green or blue forewings and reddish hindwings but some are predominantly brown or white...
.