Horsfieldia pilifera
Content
Description
Tree (5-)10-20 m.
Leaves membranous, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 7-27 by 2.5-8.5 cm, base attenuate, apex acute-acuminate;
Inflorescences with sparse or dense rather woolly hairs 0.1-0.3 mm;
Fruits (2-)5-20 per infructescence, globose or short-ellipsoid, 1.1-1.6 by 1.1-1.6 cm, glabrescent but with minute persistent hairs towards the base (lens!), without or with few tubercles;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical, Bird's Head present, Japen I present, Jayapura present, Madang present, Morobe Prov present, Papua Barat present, Papua New Guinea present, Sepik present, northern half of New Guinea present
Malesia: northern half of New Guinea (Papua Barat: Bird's Head, Japen I., Jayapura; Papua New Guinea: Sepik, Madang, Morobe Prov.).
Taxonomy
Close to H. laevigata, but noticeable for the smaller male buds and the smaller (sub)globose fruits without or with few (coarser and paler coloured) lenticel-like tubercles. The male buds are accepted as variable in outline, varying from lengthwise to ± transversely ellipsoid. The only known female flowers (Schlechter 16933) are somewhat smaller than those of H. laevigata, but they probably do not differ significantly in the two species. In fruit (sometimes globose) H. pilifera may be confused with H. basifissa, a species with quite different male flowers.