Cycads   Bowenia sp. 'Tinaroo'

Bowenia "Tinaroo" is a name given to a race of Bowenia growing near Lake Tinaroo on the Atherton Tableland in North Queensland. It is distinguished from Bowenia spectabilis which is widespread on the tableland and nearby ranges in having consistently serrate leaf margins. Plants are also said to be more extensively branched as seen in Bowenia serrulata , but this remains unproven.

The problem is that, now considerably more field study of Bowenia populations has been carried out in North Queensland, serrate leaves can be found in almost any population of B. spectabilis , from the south of the range near Cardwell to the outlying northern populations in the MacIlwraith range in central Cape York. This feature may be more consistent in some populations, but cannot be the basis for a taxonomic distinction.

Contributed by:	Ken Hill (Senior Botanist - National Herbarium of NSW)
	(from an email to the Cycad List Group)

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