# Flindersia maculosa

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Species of tree

Leopardwood Flindersia maculosa Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Embryophytes Clade: Tracheophytes Clade: Spermatophytes Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Sapindales Family: Rutaceae Genus: Flindersia Species: F. maculosa Binomial name Flindersia maculosa (Lindl.) Benth.[1] Synonyms[1] Elaeodendron maculosum Lindl. Flindersia maculata F.Muell. nom. illeg.

Flowers

Fruit

***Flindersia maculosa***, commonly known as **leopardwood** or **leopard tree**,[2] is a species of tree in the family [Rutaceae](/source/Rutaceae) and is [endemic](/source/Endemism) to inland areas of eastern Australia. It has mottled bark, simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, white to cream-coloured flowers and fruit studded with rough points.

## Description

*Flindersia maculosa* is a tree that typically grows to a height of 15 m (49 ft), developing from a tangled mass of spiny branches in the juvenile stage. The trunk is mottled due to the bark shedding in patches. The leaves are simple, arranged in opposite pairs, narrow oblong to lance-shaped or linear, 10–80 mm (0.39–3.15 in) long and 2.5–10 mm (0.098–0.394 in) wide on a [petiole](/source/Petiole_(botany)) 2–15 mm (0.079–0.591 in) long. The upper surface of the leaf is shiny and dark green, the lower side dull and paler. The flowers are arranged in [panicles](/source/Panicle) 10–80 mm (0.39–3.15 in) long on the ends of branchlets. The [sepals](/source/Sepal) are 1–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long, the [petals](/source/Petal) white to cream-coloured and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to December and the fruit is a woody [capsule](/source/Capsule_(botany)) studded with rough points and that opens into five section, releasing winged seeds about 18 mm (0.71 in) long.[2][3]

## Taxonomy

Leopardwood was first formally described in 1848 by [John Lindley](/source/John_Lindley) in [Thomas Mitchell's](/source/Thomas_Mitchell_(explorer)) *Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia*.[4] In 1963, [George Bentham](/source/George_Bentham) changed the name to *Flindersia maculosa* in *[Flora Australiensis](/source/Flora_Australiensis)*.[5][6]

## Distribution and habitat

*Flindersia maculosa* grows on stony hills and sand plains from [Hughenden](/source/Hughenden%2C_Queensland) in central Queensland to the [Riverina](/source/Riverina) district in south-western New South Wales and from [Walgett](/source/Walgett%2C_New_South_Wales) to [Ivanhoe](/source/Ivanhoe%2C_New_South_Wales) and [Broken Hill](/source/Broken_Hill) in that state.[2][3]

## Uses

Leopardwood is a useful fodder tree in drought periods but as the tree does not recuperate well, it should only be [pollarded](/source/Pollarding).[7] The wood of the tree is sometimes used to construct fence posts and [pick handles](/source/Pickaxe#Pickaxe_handle).[8]

Nectar from the buds and gum from the bark have been used to make a sweet drink.[9] The drink from the gum has been used as a remedy for diarrhea.[10]

## Ecology

Larvae of the moth *[Opodiphthera astrophela](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Opodiphthera_astrophela&action=edit&redlink=1)* feed on the leopardwood tree.[11] An unidentified beetle in the genus *[Anilara](/source/Anilara)* can cause serious damage to the leopardwood tree.[12] The [mistletoe](/source/Mistletoe) *[Amyema lucasii](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amyema_lucasii&action=edit&redlink=1)* grows almost exclusively on the *F. maculosa*.[13]

## Conservation status

*Flindersia maculosa* is classified as of "least concern" under the Queensland Government *[Nature Conservation Act 1992](/source/Nature_Conservation_Act_1992)*.[14]

### Gallery

		- drawing by [Margaret Flockton](/source/Margaret_Flockton)

		- A [wedge-tailed eagle](/source/Wedge-tailed_eagle)'s nest in a fruiting leopardwood tree at [Mutawintji National Park](/source/Mutawintji_National_Park)

		- Bark

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-APC_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-APC_1-1) ["*Flindersia maculosa*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/87882). Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-RBGS_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-RBGS_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-RBGS_2-2) Porteners, Marianne F. ["*Flindersia maculosa*"](http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Flindersia~maculosa). Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FoA_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FoA_3-1) Hartley, Thomas G. (2013). Wilson, Annette J.G. (ed.). [*Flora of Australia (Volume 26)*](https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Flindersia%20maculosa). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. pp. 70–71. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APNI1_4-0)** ["*Elaeodendron maculosum*"](https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/479747). APNI. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-APNI_5-0)** ["*Flindersia maculosa*"](https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/508195). APNI. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Benth._6-0)** Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1863). [*Flora Australiensis (Volume 1)*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/3669#page/447/mode/1up). Vol. 1. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. pp. 389–390. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ABS_7-0)** ["Some native Australian fodder plants"](https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/featurearticlesbyReleaseDate/4C690E6136B8B1EBCA2569DE00267E5F?OpenDocument). Australian Bureau of Statistics. 25 January 1912. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["*Flindersia maculosa* (Family Rutaceae)"](http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/species-bank/sbank-treatment.pl?id=17842). *Species Bank*. Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Commonwealth of Australia.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Bush foods: Talking about plants"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090816200512/http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/education/Resources/bush_foods/talking_about_plants). Archived from [the original](http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/education/Resources/bush_foods/talking_about_plants) on 2009-08-16. Retrieved 2009-08-01.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Native Australian Plants with Medicinal Uses"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070928135937/http://www.bushfood.net/medicinals_full.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.bushfood.net/medicinals_full.htm) on 2007-09-28.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Opodiphthera astrophela (Walker, 1855)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050718220436/http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/satu/astroph.html). Archived from [the original](http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/satu/astroph.html) on 2005-07-18.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Trevor J. Hawkeswood. ["Review of the biology of the genus Anilara Saunders, 1868 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110708112239/http://www.calodema.com/freefiles/319.pdf) (PDF). Archived from [the original](http://www.calodema.com/freefiles/319.pdf) (PDF) on 2011-07-08.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Quirico_13-0)** Quirico, Anna-Louise. ["*Amyema lucasii*"](http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Amyema~lucasii). Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DES_14-0)** ["Species profile—*Flindersia maculosa* (leopardwood)"](https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species-search/details/?id=17123). Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science. Retrieved 17 July 2020.

Taxon identifiers Flindersia maculosa Wikidata: Q967939 Wikispecies: Flindersia maculosa APNI: 87882 BOLD: 1098269 CoL: 6J92H EoL: 5621524 FoAO2: Flindersia maculosa GBIF: 3835347 GRIN: 201 iNaturalist: 777380 IPNI: 113913-3 IUCN: 192229128 NCBI: 67932 NSWFlora: Flindersia~maculosa Open Tree of Life: 499504 Plant List: kew-2813505 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:113913-3 Tropicos: 100339298 WFO: wfo-0000691392 Elaeodendron maculosum Wikidata: Q50835677 APNI: 69719 CoL: 6DZLV GBIF: 3791567 GRIN: 14965 IPNI: 160697-1 POWO: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:160697-1 Tropicos: 100329762 WFO: wfo-0000664979

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Flindersia maculosa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flindersia_maculosa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flindersia_maculosa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.