Symplocos fasciculata
Content
Description
Shrub, or less often a tree to 22 m high and 50 cm ø.
Leaves alternately or (on the leaders) spirally arranged, glabrous above, sparsely appressedly fine-hairy beneath, rarely patently hirsute, especially on midrib and nerves and towards the margin, (narrowly) elliptic or sometimes ovate, acuminate to caudate with acute to rounded base, 5-13(—18) by 2-4½ (-6)cm;
Flowers in a fascicle of reduced, often branched, racemes to 2½ cm long.
Stamens 12-35.
Ovary appressedly hairy, c. 1 mm high;
Fruit broadly or narrowly ampulliform, often curved, the belly globose or ovoid, the neck broadly conical, dark violet-blue or cobalt-blue, 5-7 by 3-5 mm;
Seed 1, much lobed, with slightly curved embryo.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Maluku (Maluku absent); New Guinea absent, Extreme South Peninsular Thailand present, Lesser Sunda Is absent, Pattani present
Extreme South Peninsular Thailand (Pattani) and throughout Malesia, except the Lesser Sunda Is., the Moluccas, and New Guinea. One of the most common Symplocos species in Malesia. .
Notes
The fruit is of a type usually containing a curved seed with curved embryo; here it is, however, only slightly curved.
In the herbarium sterile sheets are sometimes confused with Eurya acuminata which has, in Malaya, often the same vernacular names; cf. CORNER (1940).
Normally lateral shoots are collected which have a characteristic alternate phyllotaxis, but I have also found leader-shoots which have a spiral phyllotaxis flowering in Borneo.
In habit S. fasciculata is very similar to S. laeteviridis but its flowers are truly fascicled with more than 3 bracts under each flower and these persistent, a regular 5-lobed calyx, an ampulliform fruit with a ruminate seed and curved embryo. In S. laeteviridis the inflorescence is a raceme or panicle with 1 bract and 2 bracteoles under each flower and these caducous, a calyx which splits into a 3-lobed and a 2-lobed part, while the fruit is ellipsoid to ovate, with a non-ruminate seed and a straight embryo.
In the herbarium sterile sheets are sometimes confused with Eurya acuminata which has, in Malaya, often the same vernacular names; cf. CORNER (1940).
Normally lateral shoots are collected which have a characteristic alternate phyllotaxis, but I have also found leader-shoots which have a spiral phyllotaxis flowering in Borneo.
In habit S. fasciculata is very similar to S. laeteviridis but its flowers are truly fascicled with more than 3 bracts under each flower and these persistent, a regular 5-lobed calyx, an ampulliform fruit with a ruminate seed and curved embryo. In S. laeteviridis the inflorescence is a raceme or panicle with 1 bract and 2 bracteoles under each flower and these caducous, a calyx which splits into a 3-lobed and a 2-lobed part, while the fruit is ellipsoid to ovate, with a non-ruminate seed and a straight embryo.
Citation
BRAND 1901 – In: Pfl. R. Heft: 34
ZOLL. 1861: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 474
Merr. 1917 – In: J. Str. Br. R. As. Soc.: 112
Koord. 1914 – In: Atlas: t. 383
NOOT. 1975: p. 191. – In: Leid. Bot. Ser.: f. 2c, pl. 13
Corner 1940: Ways. Trees: 622: t. 231
BACK. & BAKH. f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 205
K. & V. 1900 – In: Bijdr.: 150
Clarke 1882 – In: Fl. Br. Ind.: 574
K. & G. 1906 – In: J. As. Soc. Beng.: 235
Merr. 1929 – In: Un. Cal. Publ. Bot.: 248
ZOLL. 1857 – In: Nat. Tijd. N. I.: 161
BURK. 1935: Dict.: 2113
Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 467
HEYNE 1927: Nutt. Pl.: 1262
Ridl. 1923 – In: Fl. Mal. Pen.: 301
Merr. 1923 – In: En. Philip.: 301