Alyxia ganophylla

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Alyxia ganophylla

Description

Climber. Branchlets weakly angled, not lenticellate, sparsely to densely puberulent, hispid or tomentose. Leaves in whorls of 3 or 4; Inflorescence axillary or terminal, a compound pleiochasium with clear internodes or with 1 or 2 internodes and unbranched side branches, densely puberulent, tomentose or hispid, 1.4-6 cm long; Sepals linear to ovate, 1.8-3.2 by 0.9-1.8 mm, 1.6-2.7 times as long as wide, apex acute, ciliate, densely puberulent. Stamens inserted at 6-7.5 mm from corolla base which is 0.72-0.8 of tube length; Ovaries 0.5-0.8 mm high, densely pubescent all over; Fruit with 1 or 2 articles in each string and then close together, stalks 2.9-8.2 mm long; Seeds 7.1-9.5 by 4.8-6.8 by 4.8-6.3 mm.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present, Singapore present); Philippines (Philippines absent); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present)
Malesia: Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, Sulawesi (? see below). This species was incorrectly recorded as occurring in the Philippines by Middleton (2000) due to mistaken synonymy of A. obovatifolia under this species.

Taxonomy

This species is not always easy to distinguish from A. reinwardtii. In A. ganophylla the outside of the corolla always has hairs more than just dotted around the top of the tube and these hairs are usually extensive and much longer than those in the rare occasions when hairs occur on the tube in A. reinwardtii. In addition, the ovary is always densely hairy all over in A. ganophylla, again a character of rare occurrence in A. reinwardtii. The record from Sulawesi is not without doubt and better collections are needed to clarify this.

Citation

Markgr. 1977 – In: Blumea: 382
I.M. Turner 1997 – In: Gard. Bull. Singapore 47: 123
D.J. Middleton 2000 – In: Blumea: 49
Ridl. 1923 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 332
Masam. 1942: Enum. Phan. Born.: 618
Merr. 1921: Bibliogr. Enum. Born. Pl.: 499
Masam. 1942: Enum. Phan. Born.: 618
Coode et al. 1996: Checklist Pl. Brunei: 25
I.M. Turner 1993 – In: Gard. Bull. Singapore 45: 35
King & Gamble 1907 – In: J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal: 416