{{Short description|Species of tree}} {{speciesbox |image = Starr_020803-0078_Toona_ciliata.jpg |image_caption = Small specimen of ''Toona ciliata'' |status = LC |status_system = IUCN3.1 |status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn | author = Barstow, M. | title = ''Toona ciliata'' | article-number = e.T31332A68105144 | year = 2018 | access-date = 2 February 2023}}</ref> |genus = Toona |species = ciliata |authority = M. Roem. |synonyms = * ''Cedrela febrifuga'' <small>Blume</small> * ''Cedrela kingii'' var. ''birmanica'' <small>C. DC.</small> * ''Cedrela serrulata'' <small>Miq.</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' <small>Roxb. ex Rottler</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' var. ''gamblei'' <small>C. DC.</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' var. ''grandiflora'' <small>C.DC.</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' var. ''multijuga'' <small>Haines</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' var. ''puberula'' <small>C. DC.</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' var. ''pubescens'' <small>Franch.</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' var. ''stracheyi'' <small>C. DC.</small> * ''Cedrela toona'' var. ''talbotii'' <small>C. DC.</small> * ''Surenus australis'' <small>Kuntze</small> * ''Surenus microcarpa'' <small>(C. DC.) Kuntze</small> * ''Surenus toona'' <small>(Roxb. ex Rottler) Kuntze</small> * ''Swietenia toona'' <small>(Roxb. ex Rottler) Stokes</small> * ''Toona ciliata'' var. ''pubescens'' <small>(Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.</small> * ''Toona ciliata'' var. ''sublaxiflora'' <small>(C. DC.) C.Y. Wu</small> * ''Toona ciliata'' var. ''vestita'' <small>(C.T. White) Harms</small> * ''Toona ciliata'' var. ''yunnanensis'' <small>(C. DC.) Harms</small> * ''Toona febrifuga'' var. ''cochinchinensis'' <small>Pierre</small> * ''Toona febrifuga'' var. ''griffithiana'' <small>Pierre</small> * ''Toona febrifuga'' var. ''ternatensis'' <small>Pierre</small> * ''Toona hexandra'' <small>M.Roem.</small> * ''Toona kingii'' <small>(C. DC.) Harms</small> * ''Toona longifolia'' <small>M.Roem.</small> * ''Toona microcarpa'' <small>(C. DC.) Harms</small> * ''Toona mollis'' <small>(Hand.-Mazz.) A. Chev.</small> * ''Toona sureni'' var. ''cochinchinensis'' <small>(Pierre) Bahadur</small> * ''Toona sureni'' var. ''pubescens'' <small>(Franch.) Chun ex F.C. How & T.C. Chen</small> |synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2515118 |title=''Toona ciliata'' M.Roem. — The Plant List|access-date=10 June 2017}}</ref> }}
thumb|Freshly cut ''Toona ciliata'' plank '''''Toona ciliata''''' is a forest tree in the mahogany family which grows throughout South Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&showsyn=&dist=&constat=&lvl=sp&name=Toona~ciliata|title=PlantNET - FloraOnline|access-date=4 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{GRIN | access-date = 14 December 2017}}</ref>
==Names== It is commonly known as the '''red cedar''' (a name shared by other trees), '''tone''', '''toon''' or '''toona''' (also applied to other members of the genus ''Toona''), '''Australian red cedar''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=TOCI|taxon=Toona ciliata|access-date=11 December 2015}}</ref> '''Burma cedar''', '''Indian cedar''', '''Moulmein cedar''' or the '''Queensland red cedar'''. It is also known as '''Indian mahogany'''.<ref name="seeds"/> Indigenous Australian names include '''Polai''' in the Illawarra. '''Woolia''' on the Richmond River, '''Mamin''' & '''Mugurpul''' near Brisbane, and '''Woota''' at Wide Bay.<ref>Cedar & the Cedar Getters - James Jervis. Abridged from the J & Proc. of Roy. Austr. Hist. Soc. 25 (2), 1940. Historical Records of New South Wales, Vol.2, page 283. Forestry Commission of New South Wales</ref> Also called '''Ai saria''' in Timor-Leste.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Timorese Plant Names and their Origins|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316286147}}</ref>
==Description== The tree has extended compound leaves up to 90 cm with 10-14 pairs of leaflets which are narrow and taper towards the tip. Each leaflet is between 4.5 and 16 cm long. The species can grow to around {{convert|60|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height and its trunk can reach {{convert|3|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in girth with large branches that create a spreading crown. It is one of Australia's few native deciduous trees, with the leaves falling in autumn (late March) and growing back in spring (early September). The new leaf growth is reddish pink in colour.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
The tree produces masses of white flowers that are very small and tubular in shape. The fruits are green capsules which senesces to a brown colour and tear open into star shape to release seeds, which are small and winged.<ref>[https://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Toona_ciliata_(Toon_Tree).htm Toona ciliata M.Roem.] BioNET-EAFRINET - Keys and Factsheets</ref>
==Habitat== In Australia, the tree's natural habitat is subtropical forests of New South Wales and Queensland, much of which has been extensively cleared. The Australian population was formerly treated as a distinct species under the name ''Toona australis''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=PlantNET - FloraOnline|url=https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=toona~ciliata|access-date=2021-11-20|website=plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney}}</ref> The southernmost limit of natural distribution is on basaltic soils, growing west of the Princes Highway near the village of Termeil, south of Ulladulla, southern Illawarra, New South Wales.<ref>Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens</ref> The largest recorded ''T. ciliata'' tree in Australia grew near Nulla Nulla Creek, west of Kempsey, New South Wales and was felled in 1883.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/RedIndex/NSW/newen99.htm | title = NSW Wilderness Red Index | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090930060301/http://www.colongwilderness.org.au/RedIndex/NSW/newen99.htm | archive-date = 2009-09-30 }}</ref>
It grows best in an environment with high light levels, however in the relative darkness of the rainforest understorey, it is less susceptible to attack by the cedar tip moth. The cedar tip moth lays its eggs on the tree's leading shoot, allowing the larvae to burrow into the stem. This causes dieback and a multi-branched tree with little commercial value.<ref name="mothc">{{cite web |url=http://www.agroforestry.net.au/main.asp?_=red%20cedar |title=Australian Red Cedar }}</ref> The tree exudes a chemical that the female cedar tip moth seeks out. This moth does not attack commercial plantings of Asian/African/Australian native meliaceae in South America. As a result, successful planting of ''Toona ciliata'' is being observed in many parts of Brazil, including genetic improvement and clonal production.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
==Uses== The timber is red in colour, easy to work and very highly valued. It was used extensively for furniture, wood panelling and construction, including shipbuilding, and was referred to as "red gold" by Australian settlers.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.time4timber.com.au/types-of-timber.html | title = Types of Timber | publisher = Time 4 Timber | access-date = 2009-01-21 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090120083309/http://www.time4timber.com.au/types-of-timber.html | archive-date = 2009-01-20 }}</ref> Heavily and unsustainably exploited in the 19th and early 20th centuries, almost all the large trees have been cut out and the species is essentially commercially extinct.<ref>Vader, John. (1987). ''Red Cedar. The Tree of Australia's History''. Reed: Sydney. {{ISBN|0-7301-0151-7}}</ref><!--ISBN checked--> Availability of this timber is now limited.<ref name="available">{{cite web |url=https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/forests-wood/properties-timbers/red-cedar |title=Red cedar |publisher=DAFF}}</ref> Timber is currently also harvested in New Guinea.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.pngplants.org/PNGtrees/TreeDescriptions/Toona_ciliata_M_Roem.html | title = PNGTreesKey - ''Toona ciliata'' | publisher = Guide to the Trees of Papua New Guinea | access-date= 2009-01-21}}</ref> Although it is not generally a viable plantation species, trees are regularly harvested by Forestry in the Atherton region of Queensland.{{cn|date=April 2024}}
==Other areas== The red cedar is widely planted in subtropical and tropical parts of the world as a shade tree and for its fast-growing aspect. It is grown in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States, and southern and eastern Africa. In parts of Zimbabwe and South Africa, it has naturalised; growing to maturity and spreading from seed.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw | title = Flora of Zimbabwe}}</ref>
==Reproduction and dispersal== ''Toona ciliata'' reproduces by seed. It is a prolific seed producer and establishes readily.<ref name="seeds">{{cite web |url=http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/v3/eafrinet/weeds/key/weeds/Media/Html/Toona_ciliata_(Toon_Tree).htm |title=''Toona ciliata'' (Toon Tree) |access-date=January 27, 2015 |publisher=BioNET-EAFRINET}}</ref><ref>[http://jagdevgroup.in/ Jagdev Saw Mills]</ref>
== Gallery ==
<gallery> Image:Toona ciliata - capsules and seeds.jpg|''Toona ciliata'' - capsules and seeds Image:Toona ciliata - germinating seeds.jpg|''Toona ciliata'' - germinating seeds Image:Toona ciliata - seedlings.jpg|''Toona ciliata'' - seedlings Image:Toona ciliata - red leaves.JPG|''Toona ciliata'' - red leaves Image:ToonaciliataMtKeiraSept24-00.jpg|''Toona ciliata'' - red leaves in September, Mount Keira, Illawarra, NSW Image:Toona ciliata Bark.jpg|''Toona ciliata'' bark, tree near Macksville, New South Wales, Australia Image:Toona ciliata, Long Gully.jpg|Stand of approximately 10 mature ''Toona ciliata'', south of Drake, New South Wales, a rare sighting in this area Image:2yearoldredcedar.jpg|Two-year-old red cedar, growing in a backyard, Casino, Australia Image:Toona_ciliata_var._pubescens.jpg|A 60-year-old ''Toona ciliata'' var. ''pubescens'' in Hunan, China Image:Toona ciliata Tamban State Forest.jpg|A stand of ''Toona ciliata'' near Kempsey, New South Wales Image:Toona ciliata Barrington 40 metres.jpg|40-metre ''Toona ciliata'', leafless in August, with epiphytic ''Dendrobium'' orchids at Barrington Tops, Australia Image:Cedro bv 9 anos.jpg|Eight-year-old seedling-planted ''Toona ciliata'', Campo Belo, southeast Brazil Image:CEDRO 5 ANOS BV.jpg|Four-year-old - 17 meter cloned ''Toona ciliata'', Campo Belo, southeast Brazil Image:Viveiro clonal de cedro australiano.jpg|Clones production ''Toona ciliata'', Campo Belo, southeast Brazil </gallery>
==See also== * Cedar wood * Macleay River * ''Toona sureni''
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080331095337/http://www.naturallyaust.com.au/11927.html Australian timbers] * [http://www.nationalregisterofbigtrees.com.au/listing_view.php?listing_id=90 National Register of Big Trees] * [http://www.lutherie.net/map_toona.gif Distribution Map]
{{Meliaceae genera}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q2739400}}
ciliata Category:Sapindales of Australia Category:Trees of Australia Category:Least concern flora of Australia Category:Least concern biota of Queensland Category:Flora of New South Wales Category:Flora of Queensland Category:Flora of Norfolk Island Category:Flora of tropical Asia Category:Flora of China