Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Josephinia imperatricis Vent.


Herb (herbaceous or woody, under 1 m tall)
Shrub (woody or herbaceous, 1-6 m tall)
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Scale bar 10mm. © CSIRO
Family

Ventenat, E.P. (1804) Jardin de la Malmaison 2: 67. Type: Elle provient de graines rapportees de la Nouvelle Hollande (Hamelin).

Stem

Usually grows as a trailing herb but can flower and fruit as a shrub about 1 m tall.

Leaves

Leaf blades about 3-12 x 0.7-6 cm, aromatic or strongly scented when crushed; petioles comparatively long, about 2-4 cm, channelled on the upper surface.

Flowers

Calyx about 4-5 mm long. Corolla externally hairy, about 27-32 mm long with one lobe larger than the rest and with red and violet spots on the inner surface. Ovary 3-4-locular, stigmas 3-4.

Fruit

Fruits globular, about 8-15 mm diam. overall including the numerous stout spines. Spines about 2.5-3.5 mm long. Fruits 4-8-celled with each cell containing one seed.

Seedlings

Features not available.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in NT, CYP and NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to about 100-300 m. Usually grows in vegetation close to the sea but occasionally found in vine thickets. Also occurs in Malesia.

Synonyms
Josephinia grandiflora R.Br., Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae : 520(1810), Type: Northern Australia, R. Brown; holo: BM?.
RFK Code
3154
Copyright © CSIRO 2020, all rights reserved.