Species profile—Dioclea hexandra
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Leguminosae → Dioclea hexandra
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Leguminosae
- Scientific name
- Dioclea hexandra (Ralph) Mabb.
- WildNet taxon ID
- 8189
- Alternate name(s)
- bejuco de mato
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Endangered
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Dioclea hexandra is a large canopy vine. It is a woody climber with a stems to 4 cm diameter. Young growth is covered in golden-brown hairs. Leaves are trifoliolate; leaflets are oblong-elliptic, c. 14 cm long, c. 11 cm wide, dark green above, paler below, densely hairy. Racemes are axillary, to 30 cm long, flowers purple to blue or pink, 20 cm long; standard with dark stripes and a yellow eye at base. Pods are oblong, indehiscent, c. 16 cm long, 6.5 cm wide, with 1-4 seeds, 2.5-3.5 cm long (Jones & Gray, 1988). The flowers are very sweetly scented. The seeds are black and shiny. (Jones & Gray 1988; Adema 1998; TSSC 2008).
- Map
- View Map
- Distribution
- Dioclea hexandra is currently found around the Daintree (older records are from the Johnstone River and Etty Bay) in far northern Queensland. It also occurs in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Island. (Herbrecs 2008; TSSC 2008).
- Distributional limits
- -16.1091666, 145.2969444
-18.0166667, 146.0872223 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Dioclea hexandra grows in lowland rainforest, tropical rainforest and complex mesophyll rainforest on krasnozem soil, with granite rocks, along river and creek banks. (Herbrecs 2008; TSSC 2008).
- Behaviour
- Little is known on the ecology of the species. Dioclea hexandra is a drift seed species (Gunn & Dennis 1976).
- Reproduction
- Fruits September to November, the seed must be scarified to germinate (Jones & Gray 1988).
- Notes
- Contributors: Ailsa Holland 11/10/2009; Danielle Hansen 16/10/2009.
- References
- Adema, F. (1998). Notes on Malesian Fabaceae (Leguminosae-Papilonoideae) 3. The genera Dioclea, Luzonia, and Macropsychanthus. Blumea 43: 233-239.
Gunn, C.R. & Dennis, J.V. (1976). World Guide to Tropical Drift Seeds and Fruits. Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Co., New York.
Herbrecs (2008). Dioclea hexandra, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 26/11/2008.
Jones, D.L. & Gray, B. (1988). Climbing plants in Australia. Reed Books Pty Ltd, Frenchs Forest.
Threatened Species Scientific Committee (2008). Commonwealth Conservation Advice on Dioclea hexandra. [Online]. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra. Accessed 05/12/2008. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/64887-conservation-advice.pdf - Profile author
- Danielle Hansen (16/10/2009)
Other resources
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=8189.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
