Carmona
Content
Description
Shrubs or small trees.
Leaves comparatively small, roughly toothed at apex.
Flowers 2-6 in a short, bractless, glomerulate inflorescence.
Stamens: anthers exserted.
Ovary: style terminal, cleft to near base into two slender, elongate arms bearing minute, subcapitate stigmas.
Fruit globose, drupaceous, red or yellow, with 1-4 seeds, endocarp bony, not breaking up into pyrenes.
Distribution
SE Asia present, spreading northwards to southern China, westwards to India, eastwards to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands present
A monotypic genus of SE Asia, spreading northwards to southern China, westwards to India, eastwards to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Notes
Carmona has been included in Ehretia by most authors prior to Johnston (1951). The most peculiar feature, by which Carmona is separated from Ehretia, is the undivided, shortly beaked endocarp. Internal cavities are changing in arrangement from base to top. There are 4 large cavities for the seeds extending for the whole length of the endocarp. Near the base of the endocarp they are accompanied by 5 sterile cavities, two large ones on the dorso-ventral line, a small central one and a small cavity to the left and right of both pairs of fertile cavities. At a higher level the number of the last mentioned cavities is increased to 3 on both sides, there are also 2 tiny central cavities between the members of each pair of fertile cavities. In the upper half of the endocarp, the 2 large sterile cavities are replaced by 3, the central tiny cavities are lacking, finally the lateral small sterile cavities are disappearing also below the apex. The number of fertile cavities may be reduced by abortion in rare cases (see also Johnston, l.c.).