Karrabina biagiana

Location & distribution maps

Plant  information

Common name:         ...

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

• The scientific name Karrabina is derived from the name 'Karabin(y)', which is used for these trees in the Yugambeh Language Region that extends from the Logan River to the Tweed River in south-eastern Queensland 

• Biagini is from the Latin root meaning 'little life'

Flowers:                            

• Near or at the ends of growing new branches, compound racemose inflorescences bloom many individual small cream flowers, each measuring 3–4 mm diameter

Fruit:

• Capsules covered in short hairs, measuring 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) long, open when ripe, releasing many small winged seeds

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Leaves:         

• Compound leaves occur opposite each other and consist of three large toothed leaflets measuring 11 cm–20 cm × 4 cm–8 cm

• New growth has showy bright red leaves 

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Stem & branches: 

• Mature trees have large buttresses and grow to over 30 m tall

• Large prominent stipules occur at the points of attachment of the leaves to the stem

• New growth has showy bright red stems

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Roots:         

Habit:        

• Tree

Habitat:   

• Wet tropics rainforests 

• Within the Wet Tropics region they occur widely in the mature, luxuriant tropical rainforests, from approximately 100 to 1,100 m altitude 

• They have greater abundance along streams

Distribution:                  

• Eendemic to the wet tropics of northeastern Queensland, Australia

Additional notes:     

• Karrabina biagiana is a species of large rainforest trees commonly known as northern brush mahogany, northern brush mararie or red carabeen, in the plant family Cunoniaceae.

• This species used to be placed in the genus Geissois as Geissois biagiana

• The timber has value for building purposes

• The trees are becoming more well known in cultivation, for the striking foliage and blossom events

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karrabina_biagiana   (Jan 2024)

• Hopkins, H.C.F., Rozefelds, A.C. & Pillon, Y. (18 October 2013), Karrabina gen. nov. (Cunoniaceae), for the Australian species previously placed in Geissois, and a synopsis of genera in the tribe Geissoieae. Australian Systematic Botany 26(3): 180-181