Gluta

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Gluta

Description

Trees, rarely large shrubs. Leaves spiral, scattered, sometimes aggregate in pseudo-whorls, simple, coriaceous, entire, petioled, rarely subsessile or sessile. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate; Flowers bisexual. Petals (4 or) 5(-8), imbricate andfor contorted sometimes even on the same specimen, rarely valvate, caducous, or persistent and (much) enlarged in fruit. Stamens (4 or) 5(-7), 10, or 00, inserted on the torus; Ovary sessile or stiped (between ovary and stamens), 1-celled, glabrous or hairy; Seed with testa adherent to the endocarp;

Distribution

Andaman Is present, Asia-Temperate: Hainan (Hainan present), Asia-Tropical: India present; New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines absent); Thailand (Thailand present), Burma present, Deccan Peninsula present, Lesser Sunda Is absent, Madagascar present
About 30 spp. in Madagascar (1 sp.), India (Deccan Peninsula and Andaman Is.), Burma, Thailand, Indo-China, China (Hainan), throughout Malesia (so far not found in the Lesser Sunda Is. and Philippines; in New Guinea only 1 sp.). .

Taxonomy

Originally when few species were known, the gene.„ Gluta and Melanorrhoea were well distinguished, although as early as 1869 MARCHAND anticipated their ultimate fusion. In the course of years this has now come true after several 'anomalous' species have been described: stamens may vary from 5, 10 to many; cotyledons may be free or partly fused; petals may be accrescent or not, with intermediate stages; the torus may be cylindric or swollen; the style is terminal or excentric; the calyx is circumscissile calyptriform or spathaceous, with an intermediate. This independent reticulate variation makes it impossible to distinguish more than one genus and defeats also distinction of sections (cf. ). Wood-anatomically there is, according to Mr. L. S. V. MURTHY (Kuching), no distinction between Gluta and Melanorrhoea (DING HOU, l.c. 10). Also according to BAKSI () most species of the two genera belong to one basic pollen type from which two specializations can be derived, but it is evident that the two genera cannot be distinguished palynologically (DING HOU, l.c. 12).

Uses

The seeds of G. renghas and G. velutina can be eaten after roasting (BURKILL, l.c. 230). The heartwood of some species, e.g. of G. renghas, G. elegans, G. wrayi, etc., is reddish brown and beautiful for handsome furniture, but it is hardly used due to the toxic properties of the resinous exudate.
C. J. STEFELS () made some observations on resistance against marine borers. A log of 'Gluta' (Fak Fak, Budidi R., BW 3135), now identified as G. papuana, was tested. After 7 months the sap wood was infected, while the heartwood remained sound. As in this species the sapwoodfheartwood ratio is unfavourable, it is not suitable for wharf piling (extr. kindly by W. VINK).

Citation

King 1896: p. 483. – In: J. As. Soc. Beng.: incl. sect.
King 1896 – In: J. As. Soc. Beng.: 480
BURK. 1931 – In: Gard. Bull. S. S.: 224
Engl. 1883 – In: DC., Mon. Phan. 4: 224
DING HOU 1978 – In: Blumea: 8
MARCH. 1869: Rév. Anacard.: 112 & 185
MARCH. 1869: Rév. Anacard.: 110 & 187
Engl. 1883: p. 234. – In: DC., Mon. Phan. 4: incl. sect.