new icn messageflickr-free-ic3d pan white

Tasmannia lanceolata

Another plant from an ancient famly, but from the other end of the world in Gondwana - it has only a few close relatives: Pseudowintera colorata (www.flickr.com/photos/peganum/3993573351/) in New Zealand, Drimys winteri in South America, plus a few tropical relatives further north.

Back in the Mesozoic, when the dinosaurs were about, this family (the Winteraceae) would have included many more species and occurred right across the great southern supercontinent.

I love the red stems...

740 views
1 fave
1 comment
Taken on January 19, 2010