Species profile—Triunia robusta
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Proteaceae → Triunia robusta
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Proteaceae
- Scientific name
- Triunia robusta (C.T.White) Foreman
- WildNet taxon ID
- 13085
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Endangered
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) status
- Endangered
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Triunia robusta is a small tree or straggling multi-stemmed shrub to about 4m high. The young branchlets and shoot tips are covered with reddish-brown hairs when young, becoming hairless with age. The bright, glossy green, leathery leaves are hairless, oval in shape, 8-18cm long by 2.5-6.5cm wide, and arranged in opposite pairs or in whorls of 3 or 4 along the branchlets. The leaf tip usually tapers gradually to a protracted point and the leaf margin is occasionally toothed near the leaf tip. The leaf stalk is stout and 5-8mm long.
The flowers are grouped together into loose cylindrical clusters on hairy stalks (peduncles) 8-10cm long at the end of the branchlets. Each flower is borne on a hairy stalk (pedicel) 6-8mm long. The white flowers are about 16-20mm long. The reddish fruits are almost spherical, 25-45mm long by 23-40mm in diameter and sparsely covered with small, reddish-brown hairs when young. Each fruit contains a single spherical seed.
The related Triunia youngiana has smaller fruit and more teeth on the leaves, but the distributions do not overlap. (Foreman 1996; Halford 1999; TSSC 2008). - Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Triunia robusta is found between Pomona and Woombye on the Sunshine Coast in south-eastern Queensland. (TSSC 2008; Herbrecs 2008).
- Distributional limits
- -24.6825534, 151.5253239
-26.6675, 153.0027778 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Triunia robusta grows in simple and complex notophyll vine forest communities at 20-200m above sea level. The soils are variable, from clayey sand, loamy sand or loam, usually derived from basalt and rhyolitic rocks. It has also been recorded on moderate to steep slopes, alluvial terraces and along drainage lines. (Halford 1998; TSSC 2008).
- Threatening processes
- The following threats are identified in TSSC (2008);
- Weed invasion, mainly Lantana (Lantana camara), Camphorlaurel (Cinnamomum camphora) & Mist Flower (Ageratina riparia).
- Habitat destruction and degradation associated with dam building activities, proposed quarries, and associated infrastructure requirements.
- Illegal harvesting of seeds and cuttings for horticultural purposes.
- Weed invasion, mainly Lantana (Lantana camara), Camphorlaurel (Cinnamomum camphora) & Mist Flower (Ageratina riparia).
- Status notes
- Notes
- Contributors: Weslawa Misiak 10/09/1998; Mellisa Mayhew 15/10/2008; Ailsa Holland 11/10/2009; Danielle Hansen 16/10/2009; Wayne Martin 25/01/2009.
- References
- Barry, S.J. & Thomas, G.T. (1994). Threatened Vascular Rainforest Plants of South-east Queensland: A Conservation Review, Department of Environment and Heritage, Queensland.
Foreman, D.B. (1986). A new species of Helicia, new combinations and lectotypification in Triunia (Proteaceae) from Australia. Muelleria 6(3), 193-196.
Foreman, D.B. (1996). Triunia, vol. 16, Flora of Australia, ABRS/CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp 404-407.
Halford, D. (1999). Triunia robusta Species Management Profile, Department of Natural Resources, Queensland.
Threatened Species Scientific Committee (2008). Commonwealth Conservation Advice on Triunia robusta. [Online]. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Accessed 11/10/2009. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/14747-conservation-advice.pdf. - Profile author
- Danielle Hansen (25/01/2009)
Other resources
- Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT)
- The Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH)
- Atlas of Living Australia
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=13085.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
