Sphenostemon papuanus
Content
Description
Treelet or tree, (2-)5-25 m tall, 4-50 cm ø, glabrous or innovations and inflorescences short-hairy or with small brown scales;
Leaves pseudo-opposite to pseudo-verticillate (3-7 leaves), coriaceous, dentate, elliptic to lanceolate or oblanceolate to obovate, rounded to acuminate at apex, distinctly nerved and veined, venation above sometimes shallowly sulcate, underneath pale or whitish green in vivo, 2 ½-19 by 1 ½-7 cm;
Flowers white.
Sepals convex to hooded, the outer ± saccate at base, midrib elevated.
Petals 0.
Stamens 8-13, close together, thick, ± triangular in CS, the connective dark brown, occasionally with 1-3 flimsy appendages adhering to the stamen-globe, later the stamens spreading.
Ovary fusiform, thick, 2 mm;
Fruit broad-ellipsoid or obovoid, rarely oblique, very rarely with a stipe-like base, 1 ½-2 ½ by ¾-1 ¾ cm, via red finally black.
Seeds 1-2, broadly ellipsoid, (if 2) plano-convex, smooth or ribbed (lobed in CS);
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present, Central Celebes present, Ceram present, Fergusson present, Goodenough present, New Britain present, New Ireland Is present
Malesia: Central Celebes, Moluccas (Ceram), and New Guinea (incl. Goodenough, Fergusson, New Britain and New Ireland Is.).
Notes
By the large increase of specimens avail-able (in 1952 c. 24, now c. 130) the variability has shown up and S. pauciflorum cannot be upheld. The number of tangible differential characters used in the key in 1952 has also become more vague.
This variability extends to the indument; several specimens (8) carry small brown scales on the racemes and innovations, in 7 the racemes and innovations are hairy to puberulous, the hairs sometimes mixed with scales, 5 specimens have more or less bullate leaves and are hairy, some 8 specimens have ridged seeds, 3 have both ridged seeds and some hairs. In 8 specimens I found 1, 2 or 3 flimsy appendages which adhere to the anther-globe. Formerly I assumed that they could represent reduced petals (4 true petals are found in the New Caledonian species) but as these appendages are not decussate and persist with the stamen whorl, I am now inclined to regard them as reduced stamens. These independent variations do not allow to distinguish further taxa.
This variability extends to the indument; several specimens (8) carry small brown scales on the racemes and innovations, in 7 the racemes and innovations are hairy to puberulous, the hairs sometimes mixed with scales, 5 specimens have more or less bullate leaves and are hairy, some 8 specimens have ridged seeds, 3 have both ridged seeds and some hairs. In 8 specimens I found 1, 2 or 3 flimsy appendages which adhere to the anther-globe. Formerly I assumed that they could represent reduced petals (4 true petals are found in the New Caledonian species) but as these appendages are not decussate and persist with the stamen whorl, I am now inclined to regard them as reduced stamens. These independent variations do not allow to distinguish further taxa.