Correa alba Andrews, the Botany Bay Tea tree from California

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Gurcharan Singh

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Sep 30, 2012, 9:39:45 PM9/30/12
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Correa alba Andrews

Botany Bay Tea Tree

This interesting Australian shrub cultivated here in California really tested my botany. I started from appearance of flower, tetramerous flowers and 8 stamens to look for some species of Daphne, only to learn that it has both calyx and corolla and fruit a capsule splitting into four parts, not expected of Daphne. Key in the Manual of cultivated Plants led me to family Ericaceae to find that it does not match any listed there. Only when I uploaded to TAXACOM that I received a suggestion from Prof. Stevens (who maintains APWeb website) that it could be Correa, a member of Malvaceae. Only when I tried to pull apart corolla lobes that I found these are connivent petals and not fused petals.
    
   Photographed in Sunnyvale, California  

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Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
Correa-alba-Sunnyvale-DSC02197-California-1.jpg
Correa-alba-Sunnyvale-DSC02209-California-3.jpg
Correa-alba-Sunnyvale-DSC02338-California-2.jpg

Prashant Awale

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Sep 30, 2012, 10:23:11 PM9/30/12
to Gurcharan Singh, efloraofindia
Another nice upload from California and its really great to see your efforts in getting the ID. Thanks.
Regards
Prashant

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ushadi Micromini

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Oct 1, 2012, 5:20:05 AM10/1/12
to Prashant Awale, Gurcharan Singh, efloraofindia
Gurcharanji:
Wonderful saga of how to search for an unknown...
thank you ...

I am a bit confused though..
I searched thru Malvaceae lists and did not  find Correa...
finally just googled Correa alba and first thing I got was this wiki link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correa_alba

which says its a Rutaceae ...

looking forward to info from you
thanks
Usha di

PS so this plant is also a salt tolerant white flowered one... just like the
Carissa macrocarpa...

I find the superficial similarities quite interesting... one from Australia another from south africa.. both grown in California...





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Usha di
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Gurcharan Singh

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Oct 1, 2012, 9:11:15 AM10/1/12
to ushadi Micromini, Prashant Awale, efloraofindia
Thanks Ushadi for pointing out. I wonder how I wrote Malvaceae instead of Rutaceae. Perhaps the age is catching up.



-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089


ushadi Micromini

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Oct 1, 2012, 11:04:50 AM10/1/12
to Gurcharan Singh, Prashant Awale, efloraofindia
oh oh... me too...
its ok...
learnt one thing,,, not to worry... worry about it makes it bad for brain

:)

usha di
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Usha di
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ushadi Micromini

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Oct 1, 2012, 11:06:00 AM10/1/12
to Gurcharan Singh, Prashant Awale, efloraofindia
now please tell me about the ps note that I sent in in bold...
above
usha di
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Usha di
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Gurcharan Singh

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Oct 1, 2012, 12:26:20 PM10/1/12
to ushadi Micromini, Prashant Awale, efloraofindia
I think yes, based on statement from Wikipedia:

"The species occurs in sandy or rocky areas in coastal areas of south-eastern Australia south of Port Stephens"

-- 
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089


Vijayasankar

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Oct 1, 2012, 3:51:37 PM10/1/12
to Gurcharan Singh, ushadi Micromini, Prashant Awale, efloraofindia
Interesting plant and nice pictures!
 
Regards 
 
Vijayasankar Raman
National Center for Natural Products Research
University of Mississippi


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