Lasjia claudiensis

Lasjia claudiensis is a species of tree in the protea family that is endemic to the Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland in north-eastern Australia. It is listed as Vulnerable under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992 as well as Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Lasjia claudiensis
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (EPBC Act)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Proteales
Family:	Proteaceae
Genus:	Lasjia
Species:	L. claudiensis
Binomial name
Lasjia claudiensis (C.L.Gross & B.Hyland) P.H.Weston & A.R.Mast, 2008
Synonyms
Macadamia claudiensis C.L.Gross & B.Hyland, 1993

History

The tree was first described in 1993 in the journal Australian Systematic Botany by Caroline Gross and Bernard Hyland as a species of Macadamia, but was transferred in 2008 in the American Journal of Botany by Peter Weston and Austin Mast to the new genus Lasjia, of which it is the type species.

Description

The thick, leathery leaves are 11.5–26 cm long by 4–13.5 cm wide. The terminal buds and young shoots are covered in rust-brown coloured hairs. The flowers grow as inflorescences with curved bracts. The globular fruits are 5–7 cm in diameter.^[1]

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs in monsoon forest and gallery forest on the Cape York Peninsula from near sea level to an altitude of 100 m.^[1]