Polyscias elegans

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Apiales

Familia: Araliaceae
Subfamilia: Aralioideae
Genus: Polyscias
Species: Polyscias elegans
Name

Polyscias elegans (C.Moore & F.Muell.) Harms, 1894
Synonyms

Basionym
Panax elegans C.Moore & F.Muell., Trans. & Proc. Philos. Inst. Victoria 2: 68 (1858).
Homotypic
Nothopanax elegans (C.Moore & F.Muell.) Seem., Fl. Vit.: 114 (1866).
Tieghemopanax elegans (C.Moore & F.Muell.) R.Vig., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 52: 308 (1905).
Gelibia elegans (C.Moore & F.Muell.) Hutch., Gen. Fl. Pl. 2: 58 (1967).
Heterotypic
Panax polybotryus F.Muell., Hooker's J. Bot. Kew Gard. Misc. 9: 229 (1857).
Aralia elegans A.Cunn. ex W.Hill, Cat. Nat. Industr. Prod. Queensland: 18 (1862).
Polyscias branderhorstii Harms, Nova Guinea 8: 274 (1910).
Gelibia branderhorstii (Harms) Hutch., Gen. Fl. Pl. 2: 57 (1967).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Pacific
New Guinea
Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
New South Wales; Queensland

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Harms, H. in H.G.A.Engler & K.A.E.Prantl, 1894. Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(8): 45

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. Polyscias elegans in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Nov. 23. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Polyscias elegans. Published online. Accessed: Nov. 23 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Polyscias elegans in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Nov. 23.
Tropicos.org 2018. Polyscias elegans. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Nov. 23.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Polyscias elegans in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 08-Apr-12.

Vernacular names

Polyscias elegans, known as the celery wood, is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It occurs in a variety of different rainforest types, from fertile basaltic soils, to sand dunes and less fertile sedimentary soils. The range of natural distribution is from Jervis Bay (35° S) in southern New South Wales to Thursday Island (10° S), north of the Australian continent. Other common names include black pencil cedar and silver basswood. Polyscias elegans is useful to bush regenerators as a nursery tree, which provides shade for longer-lived young trees underneath. Polyscias elegans is also known as Celery wood, Mowbulan whitewood, Silver basswood and White sycamore.[5]
Description

It is a fast-growing medium-sized tree with an attractive palm-like or umbrella-shaped crown. Up to 30 meters tall and a trunk diameter of 75 cm. The trunk is mostly straight, unbuttressed and cylindrical, smooth-barked on young trees but fissured, scaly and rough-barked on larger trees.

Leaves are large, pinnate or bi-pinnate with almost opposite leaflets, often in threes. Leaflets ovate in shape, with a point, 5 to 13 cm long. Leaf veins noticeable on both sides, net veins visible below.

Purple flowers form on a terminal panicle, arranged in a series of racemes in the months of February to April. However, flowers can form at other times. The fruit is a drupe; brown or purplish black in colour, 5 to 7 mm wide. Inside the drupe are two cells, containing one seed each, 5 mm long. Seed is fertile for regeneration from the droppings of the pied currawong.

The fruit is eaten by a large variety of birds, including brown cuckoo dove, Australasian figbird, green catbird, Lewin's honeyeater, olive-backed oriole, pied currawong, paradise riflebird, rose crowned fruit dove, silvereye, superb fruit dove, topknot pigeon and wompoo fruit dove.
References

Harms Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(8): 45 1894
"Polyscias elegans (C.Moore & F.Muell.) Harms'". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
C. Moore & F. Muell. Trans. Philos. Inst. Victoria 2: 68 1858
R. Vig. Bull. Soc. Bot. France 52: 308 1905

http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Polyscias.html Sorting Polyscias names

Floyd, A. G. (1989). Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia (1st ed.). Port Melbourne: Elsevier Australia - Inkata Imprint, copyright Forestry Commission of New South Wales (published 1 December 1989). p. 73. ISBN 0-909605-57-2. Retrieved 20 June 2009. (other publication details, included in citation)
Polyscias elegans at NSW Flora Online Retrieved 20 June 2009