Pennantia
Encyclopedia
Pennantia is the sole genus
in the plant
family
Pennantiaceae. In older classifications
, it was placed in the family Icacinaceae
. Most authorities have recognized three or four species
, depending on whether they recognized Pennantia baylisiana as a separate species from Pennantia endlicheri. Mabberley, however, has recognized only two species. Pennantia is native to New Zealand
, Norfolk Island
, and northeast Australia
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
in the plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pennantiaceae. In older classifications
Biological classification
Biological classification, or scientific classification in biology, is a method to group and categorize organisms by biological type, such as genus or species. Biological classification is part of scientific taxonomy....
, it was placed in the family Icacinaceae
Icacinaceae
Icacinaceae is a family of flowering plants.It consists of trees, shrubs, and lianas, primarily of the tropics.The family was traditionally circumscribed quite broadly, with around 55 genera totalling over 400 species...
. Most authorities have recognized three or four species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, depending on whether they recognized Pennantia baylisiana as a separate species from Pennantia endlicheri. Mabberley, however, has recognized only two species. Pennantia is native to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, and northeast 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...
.
Species
The following four species were recognized by Gardner and de Lange in 2002.- Pennantia baylisianaPennantia baylisianaPennantia baylisiana is a species of plant in the Pennantiaceae family . It is endemic to the Three Kings Islands, New Zealand, where only one plant is known to exist. It is threatened by habitat loss. Pennantia baylisiana was listed as one of the world's rarest plants by The Guinness Book of Records...
(W. Oliver) Baylis - Pennantia corymbosa
- Pennantia cunninghamiiPennantia cunninghamiiPennantia cunninghamii known as the Brown Beech is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. The range of natural distribution is from Clyde Mountain near Batemans Bay in southern New South Wales to Atherton in tropical Queensland ....
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , 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...
(NSW and QueenslandQueenslandQueensland 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...
) - Pennantia endlicheri