Horsfieldia pulverulenta
Content
Description
Tree 15-25 m.
Leaves coriaceous, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 14-35(-40) by 4—10.5(—13) cm, base rounded or short-attenuate, apex acute-acuminate, often to 2(-3, in sapling shoots) cm caudate;
Inflorescences with woolly hairs 1-1.5 mm long, 2 or 3 times branched, rather many-flowered;
Fruits 3-10 per infructescence, ellipsoid, apex acute, sometimes acuminate, 3-5 by 2-3 cm, minutely pubescent at least at the base, pericarp woody-coriaceous, 4-7 mm thick, usually with paler, small or coarse lenticels or tubercles;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Bird's Head present, Geelvink Bay present, Gulf Prov present, Jayapura present, Madang present, Mimika present, Papua Barat present, Papua New Guinea present, West & East Sepik present, Western Prov present
Malesia: New Guinea (Papua Barat: Bird's Head, Jayapura, Geelvink Bay, Mimika; Papua New Guinea: West & East Sepik, Madang, Western Prov.; also a deviating specimen from Gulf Prov.).
Taxonomy
2 Schodde & Craven 4662 (Gulf Province, male flowers) deviates in non-coriaceous, woolly (not harsh) hairy leaves, and densely hairy perianths. The perianth is light brown on drying, not blackish brown as is usual in H. pulverulenta, and collapses only slightly; it has an androecium comparable to that of H. pulverulenta. The marginal nerve of the leaves loops very regulary, as in H. pulverulenta. The specimen may represent a separate taxon.
1 Horsfieldia pulverulenta belongs to the group with H. hellwigii, which has stout twigs, and conspicuous coarse hairs on the leaf buds and apex of twigs, (0.5-) 1-1.5 mm long. It is distinguished by its woody perianths, in male usually collapsed around the small androecium. The androecium is deviating in shape within Horsfieldia and consists of an ellipsoid woody body, at the apex with only 2 apparently much reduced anthers (or thecae?) just below the apical pore-like slit of the perianth.
The female flowers of H. pulverulenta are larger than those of H. hellwigii.
The female flowers of H. pulverulenta are larger than those of H. hellwigii.