Cochlospermum fraseri
| Cochlospermum fraseri | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Bixaceae |
| Genus: | Cochlospermum |
| Species: | C. fraseri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cochlospermum fraseri | |
| |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Cochlospermum fraseri is a tree in the family Bixaceae with common names cotton tree, kapok bush, and kapok tree.[2] It is native to north western Australia (in Western Australia[3] and the Northern Territory[4]).
Taxonomy[edit]
French botanist Jules Émile Planchon described this species in 1847 from Melville Island off the north coast of Australia.[5] Two subspecies are recognised: subspecies fraseri, found mainly from Katherine to Melville Island, has smooth leaves and 2 mm-long bracts, and subspecies heteronemum, from Katherine west to the Ord River, has finely furred leaves and 40–58 mm-long bracts.[4]
Description[edit]
Cochlospermum fraseri is a deciduous[3] tree or shrub which can grow to 7 m tall.[4] It flowers from April to October[4] (March to August[3]), the inflorescence being a terminal panicle.[4] The flower is asymmetric, having five sepals in two whorls, with the outer two sepals being shorter than the inner three.[6] It has numerous stamens.[4] The flowers often appear when the plant has no leaves.[7] It fruits from June to March, with the fruit being a woody capsule having 3 to 5 valves.[4] The seed is surrounded by fluffy, "cottony" threads,[8] giving rise to the common name, kapok tree.
Distribution and habitat[edit]
It is found in the bioregions of Central Kimberley, Dampierland, Gulf Fall and Uplands, Northern Kimberley, Ord Victoria Plain, Pine Creek, Victoria Bonaparte in the Northern Territory.,[4] and the bioregions of Central Kimberley, Dampierland, Great Sandy Desert, Northern Kimberley, Ord Victoria Plain, Victoria Bonaparte in Western Australia.[3]
Cochlospermum fraseri grows in open eucalypt woodland on a variety of soils, including sands, gravelly soils, and heavy clay soils.[4]
Uses[edit]
The indigenous people of northern Australia would eat the flowers, either raw or cooked, and the roots of young plants.[7] They also used to use the fluff from the seeds as body decoration.[8]
This plant is a "calendar" plant of the Jawoyn people: flowering indicates when freshwater crocodiles are laying eggs, fruiting the time for collecting them.[8]
Gallery[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 3 April 2016
- ^ Atlas of Living Australia
- ^ a b c d FloraBase, DPAW, retrieved 3 April 2016
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 2018. NTflora factsheet: Cochlospermum fraseri. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ Planchon, Jules Émile (1847). "Sur la nouvelle famille des Cochlospermées". London Journal of Botany (in French). 6: 307 – via BHL.
- ^ Kerrigan, R.A. & Dixon, D.J. 2011. NTflora 'Flora of the Darwin Region, Vol 1, Bixaceae Retrieved 27 May 2018.
- ^ a b Brock, John (2001) [First published 1988]. Native plants of northern Australia. Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: New Holland Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-876334-67-3.
- ^ a b c Moore, P. 2005. A Guide to Plants of Inland Australia (p. 376), Reed New Holland, Sydney Australia, ISBN 9781876334864
