Pullea mollis

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Pullea mollis

Description

Tree to 20 m tall, 60 cm diameter. Leaves elliptic or more commonly obovate, 4-9 by 2.5-6 cm, 7-10-nerved, rounded or slightly retuse at the apex, obtuse to acute at the base, de-current along petiole, with faintly undulate margin, ± densely hirsute above and beneath, the tomentum at least partly long-persisting. Stipules ovate, 5 by 3 mm, densely strigose-hirsute beneath, glabrous above, rounded at the apex. Inflorescence of up to c. 200-300 flowers, subunits inserted in series in opposite axils of subdistal leaves, each subunit up to 5 by 4 cm, orders of branching 2-3, axes terminating in dense, spherical heads of flowers, each 6-8 mm diameter in flowering stage when dry and composed of c. 16 flowers; Flowers sessile. Stamens with filaments 1.8-3.5 mm and anthers 0.2 by 0.4 by 0.2 mm. Ovary 0.8-1.4 mm long, densely hirsute, the styles up to 1 mm long. Fruit with ‘ovary’ c. 1.5 mm diameter, the styles up to 4 mm long. Seed c. 0.5 mm long.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, East Sepik present, Garaina present, Morobe present, Mt Hunstein present, Papua New Guinea present
Malesia: New Guinea, only known from two localities in Papua New Guinea (Mt Hunstein, East Sepik, and Garaina, Morobe).

Ecology

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Morphology

Flowers white, sometimes tinged with pink.

Citation

Hoogland 1979 – In: Blumea: 491
Engl. 1928: p. 260. – In: Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2: f. 151
L.M. Perry 1949 – In: J. Arnold Arbor. 30: 163