Flakey-barked satinash
A street planting in
Edge Hill, Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Syzygium
Species:
S. forte
Binomial name
Syzygium forte
Synonyms
  • Eugenia fortis[4]
  • Syzygium rubiginosum[5]

Syzygium forte, commonly known as flaky-barked satinash, white apple or brown satinash, is a tree in the family Myrtaceae native to New Guinea and northern Australia.

Description

Syzygium forte typically grows up to 25 metres (82 ft) in height in its native habitat, with reddish brown or pinkish, flakey bark.[6][7][8] The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs on the twigs and are mid green in colour, paler below. They are somewhat leathery and have revolute margins. The leaf lamina measure up to 14 by 8 centimetres (5.5 by 3.1 in) with a thick and pale mid-rib. Those of subspecies S. f. forte are usually orbicular to obovate,[7] while those of subspecies S. f. potamophilum can be narrowly ovate, elliptic or lanceolate.[9]

Flowering occurs between September and January. The much-branched inflorescence terminates the leafy twigs in subspecies S. f. forte, and are produced below the leaves or inside the crown in subspecies S. f. potamophilum.[7][9] The white flowers form in dense clusters with multiple white stamens.

The fruits are a globular white berry up to 6 centimetres (2 in) diameter, containing a single large seed.[10][11]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described as Eugenia fortis by the German born Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1865 as part of his massive work Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. In 1983 the species was reclassified by Bernie Hyland in his paper A revision of Syzygium and allied genera (Myrtaceae) in Australia., which was published in the Australian Journal of Botany Supplementary Series.[12]

Infraspecies

As of November 2022 there are two recognised subspecies, as follows:

  • Syzygium forte subsp. forte (F.Muell.) B.Hyland.[6][13]
  • Syzygium forte subsp. potamophilum B.Hyland.[14][15][8]

Etymology

The genus name Syzygium was coined by Joseph Gaertner in 1788, and is taken from the Greek word syzgos, meaning "jointed" and is a reference to the paired leaves displayed by members of the genus.[16] The species epithet forte is from the Latin fortis meaning 'strong'.[17]

Distribution and habitat

Syzygium forte is native to New Guinea and the northern parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia. The subspecies S.f. potamophilum is found in all three states, and is the only species found in Western Australia. It is thought to be endemic to Australia. The other, S.f. forte, is found in the Northern Territory, Queensland and New Guinea.[6][14]

It prefers sandy soils and is both cyclone resistant and salt tolerant. As a result it is commonly found in beach forests and rocky headlands, but is also found in rainforests to an altitude of around 450 metres (1,480 ft).[6][10][18]

In Western Australia this species is found in gallery forest along watercourses in the Kimberley region, where it grows in sandstone soils up to 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level.[8][14]

Ecology

The fruit are eaten by cassowaries and fruit bats.[6][18] The flowers attract many species of birds and insects.

Cultivation and uses

Indigenous Australians ate the fruit[18][19] and used the leaves as a fish poison.[20]

This species is too large for most private gardens but is useful as a park and street tree.[6] The Cairns Regional Council has planted well over 400 of both subspecies combined throughout the city and suburbs.[21]

The tree sometimes produces timber worth milling, with a density of approximately 0.69 to 0.96 kg/L.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2018). "Syzygium forte". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T136087860A136087862. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T136087860A136087862.en. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "Syzygium forte". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Syzygium forte (F.Muell.) B.Hyland". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "Eugenia fortis F.Muell.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Syzygium rubiginosum Merr. & L.M.Perry". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Syzygium forte subsp. forte". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 19 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. 1 2 3 Cowie I, Lewis D, et al. "Syzygium forte (F.Muell.) B.Hyland subsp. forte". FloraNT, Northern Territory Herbarium. Northern Territory Government, Darwin. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 "Syzygium forte subsp. potamophilum B.Hyland". Western Australian Herbarium (1998–2022). Florabase—the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Government of Western Australia. 1995. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  9. 1 2 Cowie I, Lewis D, et al. "Syzygium forte (F.Muell.) subsp. potamophilum B.Hyland". FloraNT, Northern Territory Herbarium. Northern Territory Government, Darwin. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Syzygium forte (White apple, Flaky barked satinash)". James Cook University. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  11. ↑ "Syzygium Gaertn.". Western Australian Herbarium (1998–). Florabase—the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Government of Western Australia. 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Syzygium forte". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "Syzygium forte ssp. forte". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Syzygium forte subsp. potamophilum". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 19 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ↑ "Syzygium forte ssp. potamophilum B.Hyland". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "Syzygium alliiligneum". Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan. New South Wales government. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  17. ↑ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 363. ISBN 9780958174213.
  18. 1 2 3 Beasley, John (2009). Plants of Cape York - the compact guide. John Beasley. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-9806863-0-2.
  19. ↑ Isaacs, Jennifer (1987). Bush Food - Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine. Sydney: Lansdowne Publishing. p. 229. ISBN 0725408340.
  20. ↑ "'Each poor poisoned wretch': Distributing death by poison on Queensland's colonial frontier". Archaeology on the Frontier. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  21. ↑ "TreePlotter". Cairns Regional Council’s Street and Park Tree Database. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
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