Walsura robusta
Content
Description
Roxburgh provides a description but no Latin name for what he calls ‘wallurse’ in .
The only precisely localizable collection of this species in Malesia is from Pahang, Taman Negara, Pahang Kuala. Seed harvested with this collection has given rise to a tree, c. 9 m tall in 1987 at FRIM (Kepong).
Trees to 25(–31) m tall, dbh to 1.5 m; outer bark grey-brown, inner bark pink-red.
Leaves 14–18(–28) cm long, 2-jugate; petiole 2–4(–6) cm long, 0.5–1.8 mm thick, semi-terete and flattened adaxially for entire length, glabrous to puberulous with simple trichomes, usually sparsely to densely lentiqellate; petiolule ± terete (to slightly flattened adaxially), (of distal pair leaflet:) 0.4– 1(–1.7) cm long and 0.5–1 mm thick.
Inflorescences clustered around shoot apex in the axils of caducous undeveloped leaves or below in the axils of caducous undeveloped or (far less commonly) fully expanded leaves, 5–10(–18) cm long at anthesis, each an open thyrse, branched up to third order (excluding pedicels), first order branches up to (1.5–)3–5 cm long, primary rachis glabrous to densely puberulous with simple trichomes and usually dark brown to black and densely lenticellate.
Flowers unisexual (and hermaphrodite?), scented, just prior to opening ± cylindrical to inversely conical, 2.7–4 by 2.1–3 mm, at maximum opening 2.5–4.3 mm diam. with no size differences between the sexes.
Petals 2.5–3.4 by 0.9–1 mm, valvate (to slightly imbricate), apex acute with upper c. 1/4 of petal incurved at c. 90° prior to maximum opening, puberulous inside and out.
Fruit a 1- or 2-seeded berry, globose, 1.1–1.9 cm diam., olive-green in vivo and brown in sicco, puberulous, pericarp thin but coriaceous with very thin fibrous endocarp the inside of which (facing the seed) is densely pubescent with simple trichomes.
Seeds ± globose or (in 2-seeded fruit) hemiglobose and 0.7–1.3 cm long, completely to almost completely enveloped in an aril in vivo, cream-coloured and sweet to taste.
Distribution
Andaman Islands present, Asia-Tropical: Bangladesh (Bangladesh present); Laos (Laos present); Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present); Thailand (Thailand present); Vietnam (Vietnam present), Burma present
Bangladesh, Burma, Andaman Islands, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia
Citation
Harms 1940 – In: Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2, 19b1. p 119
C.DC. 1878 – In: DC., Monogr. Phan. 1. p 638
Balakrishnan 1981 – In: Fl. Jowai. p 122
Chun et al. 1974 – In: Fl. Hainanica. p 71
Lace 1912: List Trees etc. Burma. p 26
Haridasan & Rao 1985 – In: For. Fl. Meghalaya. p 214
Leenhouts 1956 – In: Fl. Males. 249.
Hô 1992 – In: Ill. Fl. Vietnam. p 508
Kanjilal et al. 1937 – In: Fl. Assam. p 241
Chen Ximu et al. 1986 – In: J. Bot. Res. p 177
T.P.Clark 1994: p. 259. – In: Blumea. f. 1, 2.
Schmidt 1916: Fl. Koh Chang. p 405
Lecomte 1911: Fl. Indo-Chine. p 785
Hiern 1875 – In: Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 1. p 565
Deb 1981 – In: Fl. Tripura State. p 453
Suvatti 1978 – In: Fl. Thail. p 727
Nir 1963 – In: Burmese Flow. Pl. p 173
Prain 1963 – In: Bengal Pl., ed. 2. p 221
M.Roem. 1846: p. 108. – In: Synops. Monogr. excl. specim.
Brandis 1906: Indian Trees. p 137
King 1895 – In: J. As. Soc. Beng. p 85
H.J. Lam 1932 – In: Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg. p 422
Vidal 1959: Norn. Vernac. Pl. Use Laos. p 607
Miq. 1869 – In: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. p 60
Harms 1896 – In: Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3, 4. p 302
Wight & Arn. 1834: p. 120. – In: Prod. Fl. Pen. Ind. Or. excl. specim.
Kurz 1875 – In: Prelim. Rep. Veg. Pegu App. p 37
Craib 1926: Fl. Siam. Enum. p 262
Kurz 1875 – In: J. As. Soc. Beng. p 148
Prain 1903 – In: Bengal Pl. p 317
Kurz 1877 – In: For. Fl. Brit. Burma. p 223