Parsonsia brownii

Parsonsia brownii
Parsonsia brownii, Sherbrooke Forest, Victoria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Apocynaceae
Genus:	Parsonsia
Species:	P. brownii
Binomial name
Parsonsia brownii (Britten) Pichon[1]
Synonyms
Lyonsia brownii Britten

Parsonsia brownii (Twining Silkpod or Mountain Silkpod) is a woody vine of the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.^[1][2] It occurs in rainforest in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia.^[2]

Description

The species climbs to 10 or more metres in height and has a watery sap.^[2][3] The glossy leaves are lanceolate, up to 20 centimetres long and 4 centimetres wide, and taper towards the tip.^[3] Juvenile leaves are narrower and new growth is down-covered. Small, sweetly-scented yellow and brown flowers are produced in loose terminal panicles between August and December.^[3] These are followed by long, slender pods which are 5 to 10 centimetres in length.^[2]

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described as Lyonsia brownii by botanist James Britten in Journal of Botany, British and Foreign in 1907.^[1] The species was placed in the genus Parsonsia by M. Pichon in 1950 in Notulae Systematicae.^[1] The names Lysonia straminea and Parsonsia straminea have been misapplied to this species in the past.^[1]

Cultivation

The species is not commonly cultivated and is considered too vigorous for most gardens.^[3] It requires cool, moist conditions.^[3] Plants are commercially available from local indigenous plant nurseries.^[3]

Parsonsia brownii vine growing over a Black Olive Berry tree at Mount Imlay, Australia

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Parsonsia brownii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?TAXON_NAME=Parsonsia+brownii. Retrieved 2009-05-31. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "Parsonsia brownii". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Parsonsia~brownii. Retrieved 2009-04-13. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Yarra Ranges Shire Council Yarra Ranges Local Plant Directory". http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Directory/S2_Print.asp?S2Key=12. Retrieved 2009-05-31.