Trochocarpa gunnii

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Eudicots > Asterids >  Basal Asterids > Asterids > Ericales > Ericaceae > Trochocarpa  gunnii

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Plant  information

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• Also, sweet-scented trochocarpa or fragrant purpleberry

Additional notes:     

• Trochocarpa gunnii, commonly known as sweet-scented trochocarpa or fragrant purpleberry, is a common rainforest understorey shrub from the plant family Ericaceae (formerly Epacridaceae) endemic to Tasmania.

• Description

• Close-up image of Trochocarpa gunnii, showing parallel veins on underside of leaves, purple berry and white flowers. Photo: R. Wiltshire

• Trochocarpa gunnii is a densely branched understorey shrub, usually growing to 2-4m tall[1][2] and spreading with twisting branches.[3] Leaves grow alternately along the branches, arranged so that the shoot appears flattened.[4] The leaves are small (6-10mm long) and oval-elliptical to oblong shaped, with a dark green adaxial (upper) surface and a lighter green abaxial (lower) surface.[1] Leaves have 5-7 parallel veins running along the abaxial surface. T. gunnii has small, white, pink or red flowers, and is the only species in this genus with a glabrous corolla.[4] The flowers are sweetly scented and arranged in short spikes near the ends of branches or in the axils of leaves of the previous year’s shoots.[2][3] Flowers can be seen in the summer months of December to March. The fruits of T. gunnii are small purple/blue, sometimes orange, globular drupes, 6-8mm in diameter.[3] The seeds are dispersed by birds

• This species can be confused with Trochocarpa cunninghamii, which is a low growing, scrambling shrub with red flowers, and is more commonly found at high altitudes.[4] The rainforest Archeria species (A. eriocarpa and A. hirtella) also have similar foliage to T. gunnii, however these species only have one vein on the underside of the leaf

• Distribution

• Distribution of Trochocarpa gunnii in Tasmania, showing that it mostly grows on the West half of the state. Sourced from Atlas of Living Australia

• Phylogenetic tree showing the evolutionary descent from the most recent common ancestor of Trochocarpa gunnii and other species of the Ericaceae family.

• Trochocarpa gunnii is endemic to Tasmania and is found in rainforests and sub-alpine areas of the North West, West and South of the state.[3][6] It is sometimes found near quartzite outcrops, and grows well in moist, rocky, well-drained soil in sheltered areas.[3] It is present in thamnic rainforests, which have a well-developed shrub layer and may include native laurel, native plum and horizontal.[7] Locations that T. gunnii occur in include South West of Lake St. Clair, Hampshire Hills,[2] Mt Field,[1] and many more

• Taxonomy

• Trochocarpa: Greek trochos means wheel, and carpos means fruit.[8] Gunnii is named after Ronald Campbell Gunn of Launceston[9] (1808-1881) who was a botanist, public servant and politician.[10] This species’ common names are sweet-scented trochocarpa and fragrant purpleberry, due to the sweet odour of its flowers and its purple berries

• Phylogeny

• The closest relatives of Trochocarpa gunnii appear to be Monotoca scoparia and Montitega dealbata,[11] both of which occur in Tasmania.[6] M. scoparia is endemic to Australia[12] and is found in many parts of the South East of the country, while M. dealbata is endemic to Tasmania,[13] as T. gunnii is. However, this phylogenetic tree is debated at the genus level and is inconclusive at this specificity.

Sources of information:

• (2023)