Myristica fissiflora
Content
Description
Shrub or tree 3-10 m.
Leaves membranous or chartaceous, obovate-elliptic or oblong, 22-35 by 7-16 cm, base short-cuneate, rounded, or shallowly cordate, apex (acute-)acuminate;
Inflorescences between the leaves, of the Knema-typc, a (sub)sessile scar-covered brachyblast, minutely pubescent;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical, Northern New Guinea present
Malesia: northern New Guinea (with two subspecies).
Taxonomy
Myristica fissiflora is mainly characterized by its deeply lobed male flowers, and vegetatively only by a strong reticulate venation of the leaves. Specimens with female flowers or fruits may have been treated under the vegetatively similar M. subalulata. The following three fruiting collections possibly belong to M. fissiflora: Warburg 20704, Lauterbach 2865, and NGF 46688 (Katik), all from about the distributional area of M. fissiflora. If these specimens indeed belong to M. fissiflora then the description of the fruits should be: small, 1.5 by 1 cm, with a 4 mm long fruiting pedicel, much resembling small-fruited M. subalulata.