Alstonia actinophylla
Content
Description
Tree 25-40 m high, 35-60 cm dbh.
Bark deeply longitudinally and horizontally fissured and peeling off in rectangular flakes, greyish;
Branchlets terete, glabrous.
Leaves in whorls of (4-)5-6(-8);
Inflorescences 3-10(-18) cm long, 1-4 together, many-flowered;
Flowers fragrant.
Sepals light green or pale yellow, connate at the base for 0.2-0.3 mm, ovate, (0.8-)1-1.5 by 0.7-1 mm, erect, obtuse, glabrous on both sides, ciliate.
Stamens inserted at 5.2-6.4 mm from the base;
Fruit a pair of follicles, 8-20 cm by 2-2.5 mm, glabrous.
Seeds oblong, 4-5 by 1.1-1.3 mm, glabrous on both surfaces, ends rounded, longest cilia 8-10 mm long, reduced and becoming short or glabrous towards the margins.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Australasia, Western, Northern, Queensland present
Australia (Western, Northern, Queensland); in Malesia: New Guinea.
Uses
Exudate of this species used by local people as ingredient in making of intoxicating beverage, known as ‘tuba’ (Eddowes & Kumul NGF 36056).
Citation
Markgr. 1974 – In: Blumea: 26
Markgr. 1927 – In: Bot. Jahrb. Syst.: 177
Sidiy. 1998 – In: Blumea: 98
Whitmore et al. 1997: Checklist Irian Jaya: 16
Monach. 1949 – In: Pacific Sci.: 154
Markgr. 1926 – In: Nova Guinea: 279
P.I. Forst. 1992 – In: Austral. Syst. Bot.: 750
K. Schum. 1996 – In: Fl. Australia: 119