CITRUS CATAPRATA (Queensland Finger Orange)

[pagnr]

Here is a list of historic Citrus varieties from Australia. 
This one stood out,
CITRUS CATAPRATA (Queensland Finger Orange) [Burnley] Whereabouts unknown.
Burnley is most likely Burnley Horticultural College, still in operation today.
Otherwise it's a mystery me, any ideas ??
Maybe Microcitrus indodora, but maybe not ??
www.heritagefruitssociety.org/widget/citrus

[Sylvain]

More likely the Royal Horticultural Gardens, Richmond Park, Burnley.

heritageandrarefruits.weebly.com/citrus.html

"List of fruiting plants growing at the Royal Horticultural Gardens, Richmond Park, Burnley, in 1896."

[pagnr]

You are correct Sylvain, it is the Gardens. That may make it easier to get some historic info than from the Burnley College. I contacted them so see what happens ?
www.fobg.org.au/blog/about-the-gardens/2563-2/

[citrange]

I believe Burnley College and the Royal Horticultural Gardens are different names for the same site.
I doubt the Queensland Finger Orange is C. inodora because that species was only first described in 1895 by the Colonial Botanist F.M. Bailey.
The fruit tree list was published in 1895 and again in 1897. It is held by various libraries, but not in digital form, see www.worldcat.org/search?q=no%3A191981227
My guess is that it is the Fingerlime, which certainly grows in southern Queensland. I suppose it could also be some locally-originated fingered orange.
Mike

[pagnr]

As far as I can work out, Burnley College and Burnley Gardens are connected but independent ??
I had a brief reply from a volunteer at the Gardens. They contacted the college who suggested there was a Fingerlime in the Gardens at one stage.
That is their suggestion so far.
I am not fully convinced a Fingerlime has been on site since 1895/1897 till recent memory ??
Thanks Mike for the info on C.inodora, I was wondering about the date it was classified too, as it may fit the profile of QLD + Finger + Orange, maybe more than the Fingerlime itself.
The inodora foliage is somewhat orange tree like.
As you say C.inodora was described in 1895, so where does the name cataprata come from ??
European settlers began appearing in Far Nth Qld around 1867 (fishing). Cairns was established in 1876. It is possible C.inodora was known before the Botanical description?
Yes, overall it seems unlikely to be C.inodora.
Anybody know what cataprata means ? I don't think it's a previous synonym for a Microcitrus ??
A C.australis Roundlime may also be potentially described as '' Finger Orange '', i.e. an orange like fruit on a Fingerlime plant ??
I was hoping there may be some records or further descriptions at the Gardens they could investigate.
The fruit tree list was published in 1895 and again in 1897. Nothing else on it is too unusual, and a lot has survived in collections, or can probably be decoded to more recent names. The rest of the descriptions themselves are somewhat vague, but its possible to guess what some might be.
Citrus cataprata seems to have vanished.

[citrange]

This name has been going around in my head for some time - I was sure I had seen it before but couldn't find it.
Suddenly this evening it came to me. 
This is clearly a spelling mistake for Citrus cataphracta, an obsolete name for C. australasica, the finger lime.
Searching IPNI gives this:
Citrus cataphracta W.Hill, Collection of Queensland Timbers - Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880 (1880).
QED!

[pagnr]

Thanks Mike, much appreciated.
I also passed the info about "This is clearly a spelling mistake for Citrus cataphracta, an obsolete name for C. australasica, the finger lime etc "
to FOBG, Friends of Burnley Gardens.