// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Carronia protensa say? It's a stretch.
| Carronia protensa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ripening fruit | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Menispermaceae |
| Genus: | Carronia |
| Species: | C. protensa |
| Binomial name | |
| Carronia protensa | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Carronia protensa is a species of plant in the moonseed family Menispermaceae. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia, and was first described in 1883.
Description
[edit]Carronia protensa is a twining vine that may achieve a stem diameter of 8 cm (3 in). The leathery leaves can reach up to 25 cm (10 in) in length and 18 cm (7 in) in width, and are held on petioles (leaf stems) up to 8 cm (3 in) long.[4][5]
Flowers are produced in clusters or panicles, emerging either from the leaf axils, terminally, or from the old wood of the branches. This species is dioecious, meaning that pistillate (functionally female) and staminate (functionally male) flowers are borne on separate plants. They are quite small—male flowers are about 4 mm (0.16 in) diameter while female flowers are about 2 mm (0.08 in) diameter. The fruit is a red, orange or yellow drupe up to 18 mm (0.7 in) long and 15 mm (0.6 in) wide, containing a single seed.[4][5]
Taxonomy
[edit]The plant was first described as Husemannia protensa by Australian botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1883, based on material collected from the Daintree and Endeavour Rivers.[6] It was transferred to its current combination by German botanist Ludwig Diels, who undertook a review of the Menispermaceae in 1910.[7]
Etymology
[edit]The genus was named after Australian botanist William Carron, and the species epithet protensa means 'extended'.[5]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]It grows in rainforest and gallery forest in northeastern Queensland, from the area near Lockhart River on Cape York Peninsula southwards along the coast to the vicinity of Tully. It also occurs on the subcoastal Atherton Tableland. The altitudinal range is from sea level to about 800 m (2,600 ft).[4][5][8]
Conservation
[edit]This species is listed as least concern under the Queensland Government's Nature Conservation Act.[1] As of 30 May 2026[update], it has not been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Ecology
[edit]Carronia protensa, along with other Carronia species, is a host plant for larvae of the pink underwing moth (Phyllodes imperialis).[9][10]
Gallery
[edit]
Male flowers
Leaf upper
Leaf lower
Detail
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Carronia protensa". Wildnet. Queensland Government. 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Carronia protensa". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Carronia protensa (F.Muell.) Diels". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Carronia protensa". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 295. ISBN 978-0-9581742-1-3.
- ↑ Mueller, Ferdinand von (1883). "Definitions of some new Australian plants". The Southern Science Record. 3 (5): 127.
- ↑ Diels, F.L.E. (1910). "Menispermaceae". Das Pflanzenreich. 46: 76.
- ↑ "Search: species: Carronia protensa | Occurrence records". Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Australian Government. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
- ↑ "Pink Underwing Moth (southern)". Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Australian Government. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "Southern Pink Underwing Moth - profile". Office of Environment and Heritage. New South Wales Government. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
External links
[edit]
- View a map of herbarium collections of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
- View observations of this species on iNaturalist
- View images of this species on Flickriver.com