Medicosma cunninghamii

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         Pink Heart

• commonly known as pinkheart or bonewood

Conservation status: Least concern

• This species is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992

Etymology:   

• The generic name Medicosma is from the Latin, referring to the citrus lemon scent of the leaves

• The specific epithet (cunninghamii ) honours the explorer and botanist Allan Cunningham

Flowers

• The flowers are arranged in small groups 15–90 mm long, each flower on a pedicel 2.4–12 mm long

• The sepals are 3–5 mm long and covered with soft hairs on the outside

• The petals are white or cream-coloured, 9–17 mm long, softly-hairy at least on the back, and remain on the fruit, increasing in size to about 20 mm 

• Flowering mainly occurs from November to June 

Fruit:                            

• The fruit is 5–6.5 mm long and hidden by the petal remnants

Leaves:         

• The leaves are narrow oblong to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base

• 45–230 mm long and 15–75 mm wide on a petiole 5–20 mm long

• The leaves are dull green with many small oil dots

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 1–2 m 

• Its young growth with a few star-shaped hairs

Habitat:   

• Rainforest from sea level to an altitude of 500 m 

Distribution:                  

• Is found from Gladstone in central-eastern Queensland to the Richmond River in NSW

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • Pinkheart was first formally described in 1842 by William Jackson Hooker who gave it the name Acronychia cunninghamii and published the description in the Botanical Magazine

  • The type specimens had been collected by Allan Cunningham near Moreton Bay and grown from seed in Kew Gardens

  • In 1862, George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker changed the name to Medicosma cunninghamii in Genera Plantarum

• Use in horticulture

  • Pinkheart is often grown in cultivation

  • It has a dense form and makes a good screening plant

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicosma_cunninghamii (July 2024)