C

Coelospermum decipiens Baill.

Mapoon bush

Rubiaceae Shrub

Synonym: Morinda reticulata

Accumulation profile

Se Selenium Obligate

1,463 µg g⁻¹ DW

14.6× the selenium threshold

Other selenium accumulators →

Substrate

Sandy, ferruginous; historically reported as low-Se, but locally seleniferous (up to ~49 mg Se kg⁻¹ total) in the Hope Vale area

Habitat

Open woodland and disturbed banks in far north Queensland

Distribution

Australia (Queensland, Cape York Peninsula)

First reported

2024 · Harvey et al.

Verification

primary-measured

Description & ecology

Foliar Se up to 1,463 µg g⁻¹ DW in a 1948 herbarium specimen (leaf tissue; Harvey et al. 2024, Ann. Bot. 134:769–786, doi:10.1093/aob/mcae103, open-access PMC).

Seeds are the Se-richest tissue, reaching 20,777 µg g⁻¹ in field-collected plants and ~28,000 µg g⁻¹ historically; these seed values are recorded in notes because the project uses foliar/shoot maxima.

The only known Se hyperaccumulator in Rubiaceae and the only one recorded from soils with very low bioavailable Se.

References

1. Harvey, M.-A., Pinto Irish, K., Harris, H. H., Erskine, P. D., & van der Ent, A. (2024). The curious case of selenium hyperaccumulation in Coelospermum decipiens from the Cape York Peninsula (Queensland, Australia). Annals of Botany, 134, 769-786. doi:10.1093/aob/mcae103 APA BibTeX RIS

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