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Australian Systematic Botany Australian Systematic Botany Society
Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of plants
RESEARCH ARTICLE

A new, rare species of Brachychiton from Fish River Station, Northern Territory

Ian D. Cowie A C and Gordon P. Guymer B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Northern Territory Herbarium, Department of Land Resource Management, PO Box 496, Palmerston, NT 0831, Australia.

B Queensland Herbarium, Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts, Brisbane Botanic gardens, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Qld 4066, Australia. Email: gordon.guymer@dsitia.qld.gov.au

C Corresponding author. Email: ian.cowie@nt.gov.au

Australian Systematic Botany 27(6) 462-468 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB15006
Submitted: 4 March 2015  Accepted: 25 March 2015   Published: 29 June 2015

Abstract

Brachychiton chrysocarpus Cowie & Guymer from Fish River Station in the north-western part of the Northern Territory is described as a new species. It is compared with B. tuberculatus Guymer and B. xanthophyllus Guymer, but differs especially in the softer finer indumentum, shorter caducous stipules, slender paniculate, open inflorescence, the weakly tuberculate follicles and other characters. It appears to be restricted to Eucalyptus tectifica woodland on slopes of ~17° associated with ferruginous sandstone of the Waterbag Creek formation. Its conservation status is discussed and assessed.

Additional keywords: B. chrysocarpus, key to species, Malvaceae sens lat., Sterculiaceae sensu stricto, Sterculioideae, tropical Australia.


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