Parsonsia straminea
Common Silkpod
Common Silkpod
Wikipedia links: Angiosperms > Eudicots > Astrids > Campanulids > Gentianales > Apocynaceae > Parsonsia straminea
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Common name: Common Silkpod
Also monkey rope
Conservation status: unknown
Etymology:
The genus is in honour of James Parsons (1705–1770), an English physician and Fellow of the Royal Society
The species name straminea is Latin for "straw-coloured"
Flowers:
Fragrant pale yellow flowers are produced in panicles from November to June, peaking over February
Fruit:
Slender pods of 10–20 cm in length
These split to release the seed from September to December
The feathery seeds are carried by the wind and dispersed
Leaves:
The leathery adult leaves are arranged oppositely along the stems
They are yellowish green on their upper surface and pale grey-green (glaucous) on the undersurface
They are 4–24 cm long by 1.5–8 cm wide—generally larger if growing in more shade
Elliptic to oblong-ovate in shape, with a round or heart-shaped (cordate) base
Stem & branches:
The plant exudes a clear pale brown sap when cut or damaged
Roots:
The species climbs by twining, aided by its adventitious roots
Habit:
It is a vine, whose woody stems can reach 9 cm in diameter, and extend for 20 m into the tree canopy
Habitat:
It grows in shady spots in rainforest and rainforest margins
As well as floodplains, on fertile basalt- and sandstone-based soils
Distribution:
Parsonsia straminea occurs along Australia's east coast, from northeastern Queensland south to southern NSW as far south as Mount Gulaga
Additional notes:
Taxonomy
Prolific botanist Robert Brown collected the species between October and November 1804 from the Hunter and Williams Rivers in New South Wales
He described the species as Lyonsia straminea in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen
Brown noted that it was closely related to Parsonsia, differing only in the structure of the capsule
Ferdinand von Mueller reclassified it in Parsonsia in 1868
Ecology
Parsonsia straminea is foraged upon by caterpillars of the common crow (Euploea core) and the Cairns hamadryad (Tellervo zoilus subsp. zoilus)
Cultivation
Parsonsia straminea can grow in a range of soil types and aspects
It can be used to cover fences and screens, though could smother nearby plants
It can be propagated by cuttings or layering
Sources of information: