A conspectus of Polyscias J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. 
(Araliaceae) in Queensland, Australia 
A.R. Bean 
Summary 
Bean, A.R. (2015). A conspectus of Polyscias J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. in Queensland, Australia. 
Austrobaileya 9(3): 445-456. The 12 indigenous species of Polyscias in Queensland are enumerated, 
and their nomenclature, distribution and habitat are discussed. Distribution maps and an identification 
key are provided. Specimen citations of Polyscias zippeliana (Miq.) Valeton from Australia are newly 
given. Lectotypes are selected for Aralia nodosa Blume, Hedera australiana F.Muell., Nothopanax 
macgillivrayi Seem., Panax elegans F.Muell., Panax mollis Benth., Panax murrayi F.Muell., Panax 
zippeliana Miq. and Pentapanax willmottii F.Muell. 
Key Words: Araliaceae, Polyscias , Polyscias zippeliana , taxonomy, Queensland flora, lectotypes, 
nomenclature, identification key 
A.R. Bean, Queensland Herbarium, Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation, 
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Queensland 4066, Australia. E-mail: 
Tony.Bean@dsiti.qld.gov.au 
Introduction 
Polyscias J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. is the second 
largest genus in Araliaceae, with 159 species 
(Lowry & Plunkett 2010), and is distributed 
from tropical Africa to the islands of the 
eastern Pacific Ocean. Over the last 150 years, 
Polyscias has sometimes been narrowly 
defined and sometimes broadly circumscribed. 
The current trend is a broadly defined 
Polyscias , exemplified by the molecular study 
of Plunkett & Lowry (2010), where Polyscias 
is used in a broad sense, encompassing 
several previously widely recognised genera 
including Arthrophyllum Blume, Gastonia 
Comm, ex Lam., Tetraplasandra A.Gray and 
Reynoldsia A.Gray. These genera have been 
shown to be polyphyletic or paraphyletic with 
respect to a narrowly defined Polyscias. 
This paper presents a summary of the 
Polyscias species occurring in Queensland 
and adjacent areas, provides a key to their 
identification, and lectotypifies several names. 
12 species of Polyscias are recognised here 
for Queensland, all are indigenous. Bostock & 
Holland (2014) listed 11 species as indigenous 
to Queensland. One species from that list, 
P. Scutellaria (Burm.f.) Fosberg, is excluded 
from this account, because both existing 
records were found to be based on cultivated 
specimens; while two species are added - P. 
spectabilis (Harms) Lowry & G.M.Plunkett, 
which has recently been transferred from 
the genus Gastonia , and P. zippeliana (Miq.) 
Valeton, not previously recorded in Australian 
censuses or databases. 
Materials and methods 
This paper is based on the study of around 
400 Polyscias specimens at BRI, and 
specimen images of types from BM, BR, FI, 
K, L, M and MEL. Any measurements given 
here have been made from dried herbarium 
specimens. Collection dates for historical 
New Guinean collections were determined 
using Steenis-Kruseman (2011). Distribution 
maps have been compiled using DIVA-GIS 
Version 7.5.0, using label data of specimens 
from BRI, and of the type specimen of P. 
zippeliana at L. Species treatments are 
arranged in alphabetical order. 
Accepted for publication 23 July 2015 
