// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Timonius singularis say? I'm a singular species.
| Timonius singularis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stipule, fruit and foliage | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Timonius |
| Species: | T. singularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Timonius singularis | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Timonius singularis, commonly known as false fig, is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae, native to northeastern Queensland, Australia. It is an epiphyte in rainforest, and was first described in 1875. It has a conservation status of least concern.
Description
[edit]Timonius singularis is an epiphyte shrub or tree up to 6 m (20 ft) tall. It can also grow as a lithophyte. The stipules are large and conspicuous, growing up to 5.5 cm (2.2 in) long. The leaves are glossy and hairless, and arranged in opposite pairs. They measure up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long by 4.5 cm (1.8 in) wide and the venation is indistinct.[4][5]
The inflorescences are borne in the leaf axils and consist of either a single flower or a panicle of up to five flowers.[5][6] The corolla tube is about 12 mm (0.5 in) long; the corolla lobes are about 7 mm (0.28 in) long with conspicuous longitudinal ridges.[4] This species is dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are borne on separate plants.[5]
The fruit is a berry turning red or purple when ripe, and measuring about 10 mm (0.4 in) long and 15 mm (0.6 in) wide. They contain numerous pale seeds about 4 mm (0.16 in) long.[4][5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The false fig grows in rainforest as an epiphyte on other trees, or occasionally on boulders. It is mostly restricted to upland forests between Paluma Range National Park and Cooktown, with a small number of occurrences in outlying populations on Cape York Peninsula.[4][7]
Taxonomy
[edit]This species was first described by Victorian colonial botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1875, as Abbottia singularis. Mueller's description was based on a specimen collected by John Dallachy. It was transferred to its current name in 1957 by Lindsay Stuart Smith.[6][2]
Conservation
[edit]As of August 2026[update], this species has been assessed to be of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and in the Queensland government's Wildnet database.[1][8] The IUCN supports its assessment by stating that the species has a wide distribution and that no immediate threats to the species are known. The Wildnet database does not provide any explanation for the assessments made.
Gallery
[edit]
Habit
Flower buds, fruit and foliage
Flower
References
[edit]- 1 2 IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group & Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). (2021). "Timonius singularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021 e.T192496232A192496234. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T192496232A192496234.en.
- 1 2 "Timonius singularis (F.Muell.) L.S.Sm". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Timonius singularis (F.Muell.) L.S.Sm". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Timonius singularis". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 452. ISBN 978-0-9581742-1-3.
- 1 2 Mueller, Ferdinand von (1875). Fragmenta phytographiæ Australiæ (in Latin). Vol. 9. Melbourne: Joannis Ferres. p. 181. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- ↑ "Search: species: Timonius singularis | Occurrence records". Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Australian Government. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
- ↑ "Timonius singularis". WildNet. Queensland Government. 2026. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- Observations of this species on iNaturalist
- Images of this species on Flickriver.com