Lepisanthes tetraphylla
Content
Description
Mostly a shrub or treelet, sometimes a tree up to 22.5 m high, dbh up to 60 cm.
Leaves 2-10-jugate, axial parts glabrous or variably hairy;
Inflorescences 2-70 cm long, variably, mostly shortly and densely hairy, hardly to long peduncled, the main branches often racemous;
Flowers white, sometimes greenish white, cream, or pink, sweet-scented.
Sepals:
Petals 2.2-10 mm long, claw 0.5-2(-4) mm long, blade elliptic to oblong to ovate, 1.2-4 mm wide, more or less dentate in the upper part, outside mostly up to ⅔ sericeous, rarely subglabrous, margin glabrous or below insertion of scale sparsely to densely woolly-ciliate, rarely rest of the blade (partly glandular-)ciliate, inside glabrous or the claw (rarely also the base of the blade) sparsely hairy;
Stamens:
Ovary and lower part of style densely hairy (to subglabrous).
Fruits green when young, later yellowish, grey, or greyish pink (ripe?), flattened ellipsoid, shortly obovoid, or subglobular, slightly lobed, the lobes rarely carinate, 1.5-5 cm in diam.
Seeds brown, testa papery, probably partly fleshy when fresh.
Distribution
Asia-Temperate: Hainan (Hainan present), Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present); New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present); Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka present); Sumatera (Sumatera present), Deccan Peninsula present, N Celebes present, SE Asia present, Timor present, incl. also Nusa Kembangan present, western half only present
SE Asia from Sri Lanka and the Deccan Peninsula to Hainan; Malesia: Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Java (western half only, incl. also Nusa Kembangan), Philippines, N Celebes (one collection), Timor, and New Guinea.
Uses
The wood of some forms is heavy, hard, and close-grained, and good for furniture and for turning. One specimen from the Malay Peninsula was said to be used in the preparation of dart poison. See also .
Notes
1. Lepisanthes tetraphylla is closest to L. andamanica King (S Andaman) which differs only by the shifting of the lower pair of leaflets to the very base of the leaf, simulating a pair of stipules.
2. Lepisanthes tetraphylla in the sense accepted here is a very polymorphous species. An extensive survey of the many forms distinguishable on a local scale can be found in . In some parts of the area (Malay Peninsula, Philippines) most of the specimens can easily be placed in distinct forms, in other parts the limits are vague, and in some parts (Borneo, Sumatra) new collections may not match any of the forms provisionally distinguished. Some of the more important local forms are:
2. Lepisanthes tetraphylla in the sense accepted here is a very polymorphous species. An extensive survey of the many forms distinguishable on a local scale can be found in . In some parts of the area (Malay Peninsula, Philippines) most of the specimens can easily be placed in distinct forms, in other parts the limits are vague, and in some parts (Borneo, Sumatra) new collections may not match any of the forms provisionally distinguished. Some of the more important local forms are:
- Malay Peninsula: 'longifolia': large leaflets (18-38 by 5.5-9 cm); large (c. 8 mm long) ferrugineous-hairy flowers; and warty fruits. — 'race 21 ': indumentum of dense, short, patent, soft hairs intermingled with c. 5 mm long, stiff, irritating hairs; drooping catkin-like inflorescences with broad-ovate, large (5 by 5-6 mm) bracts. — 'hir-ta': indumentum beautiful reddish, yellowish, or greyish brown velvety; large (19-39 by 7-17 cm) leaflets, with many straight nerves, hispid all over the lower surface, the hairs being on minute warts; and relatively large (4 by 4 mm) broad-ovate bracts. — 'cuneata': glabrous twigs; sepals not petaloid; ovary 2-celled. — 'montana' like 'cuneata', but with midrib sunken above and ovary 3-celled.
- Sumatra: 'lamponga ' is the predominant form, much resembling 'montana' but usually with 4 petals, an interrupted disc and densely hairy seeds.
— 'cuneata' (but with 3-celled ovary) and 'hirta' are known from the E Coast, 'montana ' from Palembang. - Java: 'montana ' but lacking any crest to the petal scale. — 'heterolepis' like 'montana', but with at least some of the petal scales ± crested. (The delimitation between these two forms is highly artificial.)
- Timor: All material from Timor represents 'pallens'.
- Borneo: The main forms from Borneo are 'montana' and 'heterolepis'.
- Philippines: The predominant form is 'schizolepis'.
Citation
Boerl. 1890 – In: Handl.: 271
Gagnep. 1950: Fl. Indo-Chine: 947
Ridley 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 493
Backer & Bakh. f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 135
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 740
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 738
Radlk. 1932: p. 743. – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: f. 15
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 746
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 739
Hiern 1875 – In: Hook. f., Fl. Br. India 1: 679
Ridley 1925 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 301
Craib 1926 – In: Fl. Siam. Enum.: 327
Adelb. 1948 – In: Blumea: 323
Adelb. 1948 – In: Blumea: 323
Ridley 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 494
Blume 1913 – In: Atlas: t. 131
Ridley 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 493
Radlk. 1904 – In: Perkins, Fragm. Fl. Philipp. 1: 60
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 734
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 500
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 499
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 732
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 738
Ridley 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 493
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 500
Koord. & Valeton 1903 – In: Bijdr. Booms. Java: 165
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 750
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 737
Adelb. 1948 – In: Blumea: 323
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 749
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 735
Backer & Bakh. f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 135
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 735
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 500
Leenh. 1969 – In: Blumea: 39, 63
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98: 737
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 500