Flindersia maculosa is a tree in the citrus

Rutaceae

Rutaceae, commonly known as the rue or citrus family, is a family of flowering plants, usually placed in the order Sapindales.Species of the family generally have flowers that divide into four or five parts, usually with strong scents...

 family. It is found in arid and semi arid areas in 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...

, 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...

. Because of the spotted bark, it is known as the Leopardwood or Leopard Tree.

The habitat is stony hills and sand plains. It can grow in areas with an annual average rainfall of less than 250 mm, such as at Mutawintji National Park

Mutawintji National Park

Mutawintji is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 878 km west of Sydney and about 130 km north-east of Broken Hill.The rugged, mulga-clad Byngnano Range is dissected by colourful gorges, rockpools and creek beds lined with red gums...

.

Description

An elegant small tree, up to 15 metres tall. The bark sheds irregularly resulting in a mottled trunk. Leaves are opposite, small and narrow. This gives the foliage a wispy appearance. Leaves 10 to 80 mm long, and 2.5 to 10 mm wide.

Small cream flowers form around November. The fruit is a spiky woody capsule 2.5 cm long, which opens to release the seeds. Seeds are around 1.8 cm long with a thin winged membrane on both ends.

Uses

In times of drought, it has been used as a fodder

Fodder

Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...

 tree.

Nectar from the buds, and gum from the bark has been used to make a sweet drink. The drink from the gum has been used as a remedy for diarrhea. Being drought resistant and attractive, the Leopardwood is an ornamental tree for drier areas.

Ecology

Larvae of the moth, Opodiphthera astrophela feed on the Leopardwood tree. An unidentified beetle in the Anilara

Anilara

Anilara is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae, containing the following species:* Anilara acutipennis Théry, 1911* Anilara adelaidae * Anilara aeraria Carter, 1926* Anilara angusta Blackburn, 1891...

 genus can cause serious damage to the Leopardwood tree. The mistletoe

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...

, Amyema lucasii grows on the Leopardwood tree.