Geobalanus oblongifolius

Geobalanus oblongifolius, commonly known as gopher apple,[1] is an evergreen shrub. It grows in America within the sandhills of peninsular Florida as well as coastal Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia.[2]

Geobalanus oblongifolius
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Chrysobalanaceae
Genus: Geobalanus
Species:
G. oblongifolius
Binomial name
Geobalanus oblongifolius
(Michx.) Small
Synonyms
  • Chrysobalanus incanus Raf. in New Fl. 3: 26 (1838), nom. superfl.
  • Chrysobalanus oblongifolius Michx. in Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 283 (1803)
  • Chrysobalanus pallidus (Small) L.B.Sm. in Rhodora 48: 136 (1946)
  • Chrysobalanus prunifolius Raf. in New Fl. 3: 26 (1838)
  • Chrysobalanus retusus Raf. in New Fl. 3: 26 (1838)
  • Geobalanus pallidus Small in Fl. Miami: 81 (1913)
  • Licania michauxii Prance in J. Arnold Arbor. 51: 526 (1970)
  • Persea longipeda Bertol. in Misc. Bot. 13: 14 (1853)

Its fruit is eaten by wildlife and is being used in cancer research.[3] The fruit is a food source for the gopher tortoise and many other species of wildlife.

It was originally published as Licania michauxii by British botanist G.T. Prance in J. Arnold Arbor. vol. 51 on page 526 in 1970.[1] It was re-named as Geobalanus oblongifolius by (Michx.) Small and re-published in Fl. Miami: 81 (1913).[2] Although it is still known by its former name in some sources.[1]

References
  1. "Taxon: Licania michauxii Prance". Grin. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  2. "Geobalanus oblongifolius (Michx.) Small | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  3. "Gopher Apple". Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2011-05-04.

Other sources
  • Prance, G. T. 1972. Chrysobalanaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 9:42-43.
  • Wunderlin, R. P. 1998. Guide to the vascular plants of Florida


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