Myristica sulcata
Content
Description
Tree 10-40 m.
Leaves membranous or chartaceous, ovate-elliptic or elliptic-oblong, 12-27(-30) by 4-12 cm, base attenuate or rounded, apex acute-acuminate;
Inflorescences between the leaves or below, glabrescent, indumentum brown, short; of the Knema-type: a simple or bifurcate, scar-covered brachyblast, sessile or l(-2) mm pedunculate;
Fruits 1 or 2 (or 3) per infructescence, subsessile, subglobose, short pear-shaped, ellipsoid, or ± depressed-globose, 3-4 by (2.5-)3-4 cm, apex broadly rounded, base rounded or narrowed, ± glabrescent, hairs mealy, greyish brown, 0.1-0.2 mm;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical, Bird's Head present, Central present, Jayapura present, Madang present, Milne Bay Province present, Morobe present, Northern present, Papua New Guinea present, lowland areas of Papua Barat present
Malesia: lowland areas of Papua Barat (Bird's Head, Jayapura) and Papua New Guinea (Madang, Morobe, Central, Northern, and Milne Bay Provinces).
Taxonomy
1 Myristica sulcata is recognized by its sulcate or angled twigs, especially the apical part, and the on drying conspicuously (dark) brown, seemingly glabrous leaves.
3 Myristica sulcata may be confused with M. crassipes and M. flosculosa, two species generally with rather angular twigs and somewhat resembling leaves.
2 Jacobs 9685 and LAE 52028 (Morobe Prov.) are mutually similar; they deviate from M. sulcata by their faintly angled twigs and ellipsoid (not subglobose) fruits with broadly rounded apex and asymmetrically positioned stigma remnant. Possibly these specimens represent a separate form within M. sulcata. The fruits of these specimens have some reminiscence to those of the related M. undulatifolia.