Flindersia pimenteliana
Maple Silkwood
Maple Silkwood
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots > Rosids > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Flindersia pimenteliana
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Common name: Maple Silkwood
Also, maple silkwood, red beech or rose silkwood
Conservation status: Least concern
Etymology:
Flowers:
The flowers are arranged in panicles 90–170 mm long
The five sepals about 1 mm long and the five petals red or reddish and 2.5–4 mm long
Flowering occurs from November to February
Fruit:
The fruit is a woody capsule 60–90 mm long and studded with rough points up to 4 mm long
The fruit opens into five valves, releasing winged seeds 40–60 mm long
Leaves:
It has pinnate leaves 70–250 mm long arranged in more or less opposite pairs
It has 3 to 7, egg-shaped to elliptic leaflets 35–120 mm long and 13–50 mm wide
The side leaflets are on a petiolule 3–15 mm long and the end leaflet on a petiolule 12–40 mm long
Stem & branches:
Typically grows to a height of 36 m
Roots:
Habit:
A tree
Habitat:
Rainforests
In Australia in grows at altitudes from 20 to 1,250 m
Distribution:
Native to New Guinea and Queensland
In Australia in grows at altitudes from 20 to 1,250 m and is found from Mount Finnigan in Ngalba Bulal (Cedar Bay) National Park) south to Paluma Range National Park near Townsville
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
First formally described in 1875 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae
Specimens collected near Rockingham Bay by John Dallachy
Uses
Good quality, decorative cabinet timber has been produced by this tree
Because it is mostly only found in reserves, the timber is in very short supply
Attempts to grow this species in plantations have failed
Chemical constituents
Contains tryptamine alkaloids known as pimentelamines
They are adducts of ascorbic acid
The plant also contains 2-isoprenyl-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, another tryptamine alkaloid, as well as 4-methylborreverine, borreverine, dimethylisoborreverine, quercitrin, and carpachromene
Sources of information: