Leopard Ash
Flindersia collina
-33.743, 151.04
Field Notes
Description:
Flindersia collina is an Australian rainforest tree in the citrus family Rutaceae. Also known as "leopard wood" and "broad-leaved leopard tree", it occurs in dry rainforest, often on hillsides, and the species name collina actually means "hill dweller". It can grow to a tall tree of up to 40 metres in height, and a trunk diameter of 60 cm, although some sources say maximum height is only 15-25 metres. There are also numerous oil dots on the bark (need a decent macro lens), and I've read that the seeds are also rich in oil. Being a member of the citrus family, I'm wondering if the oil has a citrus scent? Perhaps the bark, flowers and leaves are scented as well? The mottled bark of this species is amazing, and this spotting really stood out for me as I was walking along the track. Amongst the shadows and dense foliage, it was almost glowing in the late-afternoon light.
Habitat:
Native range is from the upper Richmond River in northern New South Wales to Cape Melville in tropical far north Queensland. Being a hill dweller and liking dry rainforest, Sydney provides an ideal habitat. This spotting was in the Cumberland State Forest, in Sydney's northwest. https://www.forestrycorporation.com.au/visit/forests/cumberland-state-f…
Notes:
Leopard ash produces a "woody starfish" capsule that's typical of the various Flindersia species, only it's smaller and more delicate-looking than that of its well-known cousin, "crow’s ash" - Flindersia australis: http://toowoombaplants2008.blogspot.com/2009/01/leopard-ash.html Here's my spotting of crow's ash for comparison: https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/2103256002 Crow's ash is the only other species of the Flindersia that I have seen, but Flindersia is a genus of 17 species of trees in the family Rutaceae. They grow naturally in the Moluccas, New Guinea, Australia (New South Wales and Queensland) and New Caledonia.
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