Jagera
Encyclopedia
Jagera is a genus of 4 species of small tree
in the soapberry family Sapindaceae
. Three are found in the rainforest
s of eastern Australia
, the other is found in the Moluccas and New Guinea
.
The most well-known of the four is J. pseudorhus known colloquially as the foambark, due to the saponin
s in the bark foaming after heavy rain. Indigenous Australians used this foam as a fish poison.
The genus is named after an Indigenous Australian tribe which lived in the southeastern corner of Queensland
, near to where some of these trees are found.
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....
. Three are found in the rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s of 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...
, the other is found in the Moluccas and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
The most well-known of the four is J. pseudorhus known colloquially as the foambark, due to the saponin
Saponin
Saponins are a class of chemical compounds, one of many secondary metabolites found in natural sources, with saponins found in particular abundance in various plant species...
s in the bark foaming after heavy rain. Indigenous Australians used this foam as a fish poison.
The genus is named after an Indigenous Australian tribe which lived in the southeastern corner of 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...
, near to where some of these trees are found.