Angophora

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Angophora

Angophora costata (Sydney Red Gum)
seed capsules

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Myrtaceae
Genus:	Angophora Cav.

Species

See text.

Angophora is a genus of ten species of trees or large shrubs in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to eastern Australia. It is closely related to Corymbia and Eucalyptus, and all three are often referred to as "eucalypts". The differences are that Angophora have opposite leaves rather than alternate, and lack a bud cap or operculum. Angophora also has fruit with sharp ribs, while the fruit of Eucalyptus is usually smooth.

The species vary in appearance from a bushy form, such as the Dwarf Apple (Angophora hispida), to tall trees growing to a height of 30 m. The bark is rough and scaly. The lanceolate leaves are darkgreen. The creamy white flowers grow in large inflorescences.

The name Angophora comes from the Greek phora ("carries") from phoreus ("carrier") from pherein ("to carry"), and angos, meaning "box", "jar" or "vessel": this refers to the cup-shaped fruit borne by members of the genus.

[edit] List of species

Some of the better known angophoras are:

Angophora bakeri (Narrow-leaved Apple).
Angophora floribunda (Rough-barked Apple). A tall, spreading evergreen found in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, with twisted branches, leathery leaves and clusters of fluffy cream flowers at the end of the branches in summer.
Angophora costata (Smooth-barked Apple or Sydney Red Gum). A hardy medium-sized tree with twisted branches, cream flowers and smooth mottled bark, which is orange in summer and pinkish-grey in winter. It is commonly found growing out of crevices in sandstone.
Angophora exsul. A threatened species, known only from a small area at Gibraltar Rock, New South Wales. This tree grows to 8 m tall. The terminal inflorescence is compound.
Angophora hispida (Dwarf Apple), formerly known as Angophora cordifolia, this large, hardy shrub has clusters of white flowers, heart-shaped leaves and red hairs on the bark. The new growth is also reddish
Angophora inopina, a vulnerable species, a small tree growing to 8 m tall.
Angophora robur, a vulnerable species.
Angophora subvelutina (Broad-leaved Apple).
Angophora woodsiana (Smudgy Apple).

[edit] Molecular studies

Recent studies indicate that Angophora is more closely related to Eucalyptus than Corymbia, and names for all species have been published for sinking into that genus.