Sabia racemosa

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Sabia racemosa

Description

Evergreen woody climber or scandent shrub, up to 6 m. Leaves oblong or somewhat oblong-ovate, 6-25 by 2-10 cm, index 2—3(—3.5), pergamentaceous, glabrous or with some hairs on midrib, rarely beneath all over sparsely short-pubescent; Flowers (pale-)green to yellow. Sepals ± ovate to broad-ovate, 0.6-1.3 by 0.5-1 mm, acute to obtuse, glabrous to somewhat pubescent, (sub)ciliolate. Petals elliptic-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, 3.5-6.5 by (1.25-)1.5-2.5 mm, acute to obtuse, or ± acuminate, or gradually narrowed, nerves up to 7, thin but distinct. Stamens 1.2-2.2 mm;

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Borneo present
Malesia: Borneo.

Notes

In vegetative characters and somewhat in the fruit this species resembles S. javanica. It differs, however, from that species in its inflorescence (few-flowered cymes) and in its floral characters, especially the petals.
Since the fruiting collections of subsp. racemosa bear only immature or damaged fruit, the description of the drupelets has mainly been based on the fruit of subsp. kinabaluensis.
The two subspecies can easily be distinguished from each other by the difference in the shape of their petals. Since they can be distinguished from each other only when flowers are available, the identification of most of the vegetative and fruiting specimens has mainly been based on the locality from where they have been collected.

Citation

VAN DE WATER 1980 – In: Blumea: 54