| Abrophyllum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leaves and fruits ofAbrophyllum ornans atElvina Bay, Australia. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Rousseaceae |
| Subfamily: | Carpodetoideae |
| Genus: | Abrophyllum Hook.f. exBenth. |
| Species: | A. ornans |
| Binomial name | |
| Abrophyllum ornans | |
Abrophyllum (syn.:Brachynema F.Muell.) is amonotypic genus offlowering plants in the familySaxifragaceaesensu lato according toEngler, A. in Engler &Prantl and Schulze-Menz, G. K. inMelchior, 1964; placed in Subfamily Escallonioideae, Tribe Cuttsieae, it is closely related toCuttsia. In theAPG II systemAbrophyllum is placed in familyRousseaceae.
The sole species isAbrophyllum ornans. Its common name isnative hydrangea, but it does not have great affinity with the truehydrangea.
It is also classified inEscalloniaceae (byHutchinson 1967;Dahlgren;Thorne),Grossulariaceae (Cronquist 1988),Carpodetaceae (APG I 1998,Kubitzki 2007[1]),Rousseaceae (APG II 2003,Shipunov 2005, Thorne & Reveal 2007[2] and Heywoodet al. 2007[3]), or even in its own familyAbrophyllaceaeNakai (Reveal andTakhtajan 1997).
It is native to Australia (New South Wales andQueensland). Its habitat is warm-temperate and subtropical rainforest, especially along smaller watercourses or in gullies on poorer soils. The natural range of distribution is from theIllawarra region of New South Wales to theMcIlwraith Range in far north Queensland.[4]
Shrubs or small trees to 8 m (26 ft) high; leaves simple, mostly 10–20 cm (3.9–7.9 in) long, 3–8 cm (1.2–3.1 in) wide, alternate, large,lanceolate, long-acuminate, subserrate; withoutstipules,petiole 20–40 mm (0.8–1.6 in) long. Flowers in terminal or axillarycymes, yellowish.Calyx is short (c. 2 mm (0.1 in) long.), tubular, lobes usually 5 or sometimes 6, deciduous. Petals 4–5 mm (0.2–0.2 in) long, usually 5 or sometimes 6, valvate, spreading, deciduous.Stamens usually 5 or sometimes 6, inserted on the margin of the inconspicuous nectary disk;anthers broad oblong; filaments very short.Gynoecium of 5carpels,receptacle patelliform.Ovary superior, 5-locular, with numerous axileovules,stigma sessile, 5-lobed. Fruit are oblong, blackberries about 8–12 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide, crowned by the stigma, many-seeded; seeds small, subglobose, testa deeply latticed;embryo very small;endosperm fleshy and oily.
Sometimes (locally)[where?] cultivated for its ornamental foliage and fruits.[citation needed]