Kingdom Plantae Genus Dracophyllum Order Ericales | Family Ericaceae Rank Species | |
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Similar Dracophyllum, Negria, Metrosideros, Cyathea | ||
Dracophyllum fitzgeraldii , commonly known as the Fitzgeraldii Tree or Fitzgerald Tree, is a flowering plant in the heath family. The specific epithet honours Robert Fitzgerald, an Irish–Australian surveyor and botanist who collected plants on Lord Howe Island in 1869. Its closest relatives are species native to northern Queensland and to New Caledonia.
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Description
It is a much-branched, spreading tree growing to 13 m in height. Its long, narrow leaves, clumped and closely overlapping at the branch ends, are 15–30 cm long, and 1–1.5 cm wide at the base. The densely paniculate, 10–20 cm long, inflorescences bear masses of small white flowers. The spheroidal, brown capsule is 2–3 mm long. The main flowering season is in January.
Distribution and habitat
The tree is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, where it is found in mountain forests from the Goat House and Erskine Valley to the tops of Mounts Erskine and Gower.