Kibara

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Kibara

Description

Trees or shrubs, resting buds with cataphylls. Leaves usually pubescent at first, often becoming glabrous, entire or dentate, principal secondary veins arched and meeting within the margin. Inflorescence lateral or ter-minal, cymose (racemose in K. streimannii), often pleiochasial, paniculate or fasciculate;

Distribution

Asia-Tropical, Australasia: Queensland (Queensland present), Nicobar Is present, Peninsular Thailand present
Peninsular Thailand and Nicobar Is. to Queensland; in Malesia: throughout the area. In all 43 spp., of which 39 in Malesia.

Notes

Kibara is readily separated from Steganthera and Matthaea by the swollen glandular tissue which surrounds the inner rim of the ostiole (). Wilkiea has female receptacles very similar to those of Kibara, but these two genera can be distinguished by their male flowers. In most species the androecium of the two genera is distinctive: in Kibara there is a symmetrical group of four stamens (2 decussate pairs), within which there is unusually a group of up to four smaller stamens or often apparently infertile staminodes. In most Wilkiea spp. the numerous stamens (c. 8 or more) are inserted irregu-larly over the inner surface of the receptacle. Some species of Kibara occasionally may have 5 stamens in the outer group, or these may be reduced to 3 or even 2, in which case the inner reduced stamens are often absent. On the other hand, some individual flowers of Wilkiea have relatively few stamens (as few as 6 in W. huegelia-na and as few as 4 in W. macrophylla (see ENDRESS, l.c.). In this event the genera are distinguished by the irregular insertion of the stamens in Wilkiea and the decussate arrangement in Kibara. The only species in which some doubt may occur is K. rigidifolia in which individual flowers with 3 or 5 stamens may not have them clearly arranged in a regular manner. When 6 stamens are present, the decussate arrangement is more definite. The nature of the stigma also serves to separate these two genera. In all species of Kibara the stigma forms an obtuse cushion or knob, whereas in Wilkiea it is more elongated and acute, being often subulate.

Citation

ENDL. 1911 – In: Pfl. R.: 28
ENDL. 1915 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 207
PHILIPSON 1985: p. 389. – In: Blumea: f. 1
PERKINS 1898 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 570
ENDL. 1901 – In: Pfl. R.: 58