Tasmannia vickeryana
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tasmannia vickeryana, commonly known as Baw Baw pepper,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Winteraceae and is endemic to Victoria in Australia. It has narrowly lance-shaped leaves, sometimes with the narrower end towards the base, and male and female flowers on separate plants, the male flowers with 8 to 26 stamens and the female flowers with up to 5 carpels. The fruit is dark red and contains 2 to 5 seeds.
| Tasmannia vickeryana | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male flowers on Mount St Gwinear | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Canellales |
| Family: | Winteraceae |
| Genus: | Tasmannia |
| Species: | T. vickeryana |
| Binomial name | |
| Tasmannia vickeryana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Description
Tasmannia vickeryana is a shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5–1.2 m (1 ft 8 in – 3 ft 11 in) and has reddish-brown branchlets. Its leaves are lance-shaped, sometimes with the narrower end towards the base, 8–20 mm (0.31–0.79 in) long and 2–6 mm (0.079–0.236 in) wide, on a petiole 1.5–3.5 mm (0.059–0.138 in) long. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants and usually have 2 egg-shaped to oblong petals 2.5–3.0 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long and about 1 mm (0.039 in) wide. Male flowers are borne on a pedicel 3–8 mm (0.12–0.31 in) long and have 8 to 26 stamens, and female flowers are on a pedicel 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long with up to 6 carpels with 3 to 6 ovules. Flowering occurs in December and January and the fruit is a spherical to oval, dark red berry 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in) long with 2 to 5 seeds 2.3–3.0 mm (0.091–0.118 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy
This species was first described in 1943 by Albert Charles Smith who gave it the name Drimys vickeryana in the Journal of the Arnold Arboretum.[5][6] In 1969, Smith transferred the species to Tasmannia as T. vickeryana in the journal Taxon.[7]
Distribution and habitat
Baw Baw pepper grows in snow gum woodland in the Baw Baw Range at altitudes between 1,300 and 1,500 m (4,300 and 4,900 ft).[2][3]