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The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system, WAHerb, and DBCA’s flora taxonomic names application, WACensus, have been set to read-only mode since 1 October 2025. Recent taxonomic changes are not currently being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or the census. Due to the rapidly approaching holiday season and associated agency and facility soft closures, along with the substantial work involved in data mapping, cleaning, and verification, the migration to the new collection management software is not expected to occur before 1 March 2026, when a further update will be provided. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

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Emmenosperma F.Muell.

Reference
Fragm. (Mueller) 3:62 (1862)
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Family Rhamnaceae.

Habit and leaf form. Trees, or shrubs. ‘Normal’ plants. Leaves well developed. Plants with roots; non-succulent; unarmed; autotrophic. To 25 m high (in Australia). Self supporting. Not heterophyllous. Leaves medium-sized; alternate, or opposite (occasionally); with blades; petiolate; with ‘normal’ orientation; simple; not peltate. Leaf blades entire; ovate, or elliptic; pinnately veined. Mature leaf blades adaxially glabrous, or pubescent (on veins only); abaxially glabrous, or pubescent (on veins only). Leaves with stipules. Stipules scaly. Leaf blade margins entire; flat. Leaf anatomy. Hairs present, or absent.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’; in cymes, or in umbels, or in racemes. Inflorescences compound. The terminal inflorescence unit racemose. Inflorescences axillary. Flowers shortly pedicellate; minute; regular; 5 merous; cyclic; tetracyclic. Free hypanthium absent. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10; 2 -whorled; isomerous. Calyx present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamosepalous; lobed; glabrous, or hairy (outside); valvate; regular. Calyx lobes ovate to triangular. Epicalyx absent. Corolla present; 5; 1 -whorled; alternating with the calyx; polypetalous; regular; white to cream. Petals hooded. Androecium present. Fertile stamens present. Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 5. Androecial members adnate (to the base of the sepals); free of the gynoecium; free of one another; 1 -whorled. Stamens 5; all more or less similar in shape; isomerous with the perianth; alternisepalous; filantherous. Anthers separate from one another; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; bilocular; tetrasporangiate. Fertile gynoecium present. Gynoecium 2 carpelled, or 3 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. Gynoecium syncarpous; synstylovarious; superior. Ovary plurilocular; 2 locular, or 3 locular. Gynoecium stylate. Styles 1; apical. Stigmas 2 - lobed, or 3 - lobed. Ovules 1 per locule (in WA); ascending; anatropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit aerial; 6–9 mm long (in WA); a schizocarp. Dispersal unit the seed, or the fruit. Seeds 1 per locule.

Geography, cytology, number of species. Native of Australia. Endemic to Australia. Australian states and territories: Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales. Northern Botanical Province. A genus of 4 species; 1 species in Western Australia; E. cunninghamii Benth.; 1 endemic to Western Australia.