Pullea glabra
Content
Description
Tree to 30 m tall with bole 22 m by 60 cm diameter.
Leaves subcoriaceous to coriaceous, sometimes somewhat bullate, broad-elliptic to elliptic or obovate, (2-)4-12(-18) by (1.5-)2-7(-9) cm, 6-11-nerved, rounded or obtuse and then often somewhat tapered at apex, obtuse to acute at base, decurrent along petiole, with coarsely undulate-serrate to entire margin, glabrous to sparsely strigose-hirsute, glabrescent, sometimes with tuft domatia in axils of secondary veins on abaxial surface.
Stipules oblong or ovate-oblong, 3-6(-10) by 1-4(-7) mm, strigose beneath, glabrous above, rounded-obtuse at apex.
Inflorescences of up to c. 75 flowers, subunits inserted in series in opposite axils of distal and frequently subdistal leaves and also rarely terminal, each subunit up to 8 (rarely 12) by 6(-8) cm, orders of branching 2-4, axes bearing flowers either dispersed along their distal part and/or in small, lax, subspherical clusters, each 4-6 mm diameter in flowering stage when dry and composed of c. 5 or more flowers;
Flowers sessile or with pedicel up to 1 mm long.
Stamens with filaments (1.8-)2.5-3.4 mm and anthers 0.2-0.3 by 0.3-0.4 by 0.2 mm.
Ovary 1.2-2 mm long, hirsute, styles c. 2.5 mm long.
Fruit with ‘ovary’ c. 2 mm diameter, styles up to 4 mm long.
Seed c. 0.5 mm long.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present, Morotai present, Pacific: Fiji (Fiji present)
Perhaps Fiji; Malesia: New Guinea and Moluccas? (Morotai).
Morphology
3. A recent collection from Mt Rossel, Rossel Island, Milne Bay Prov., Papua New Guinea, Gideon LAE 76009, appears to combine features of P. mollis and P. glabra. The flowers are in glomerules not capitula while the ± abundant indumentum on the young stems, leaves, inflorescence axes etc. is of long straight, patent hairs, but the leaf shape is closer to P. glabra.
1 The perianth is greenish or white, becoming greenish yellow when old, the styles and filaments are white, the disc lobes bright red, and the anthers yellow.
2. Tuft domatia occur occasionally but are far from universal.