Symplocos celastrifolia

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Symplocos celastrifolia

Description

Shrub or small tree, rarely up to 30 m high and 60 cm ø. Leaves glabrous, or rarely sparsely fine-hairy on midrib and nerves beneath, often the upper surface dark coloured to nearly black when dry and the undersurface olive brown, ± elliptic, with cuneate-attenuate base, crenate margin and mostly abruptly acuminate apex, 5½-15 by 2¼-6 cm; Stamens 40-c. 60. Ovary glabrous, c. 1 mm high; Seed and embryo U-shaped.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Jawa (Jawa absent); Malaya present; Sumatera (Sumatera present), E. of Makassar Straits present, East Malesia present, Lesser Sunda Is absent, Peninsular Thailand present, most of the Moluccas absent, northern half of Celebes absent, northern islands of the Philippines absent
Peninsular Thailand and throughout Malesia, except in Java, the Lesser Sunda Is., the northern islands of the Philippines, the northern half of Celebes, and most of the Moluccas. The number of collections in Sumatra and East Malesia (E. of Makassar Straits) is small compared with those in Malaya and especially Borneo.

Notes

In Morotai I. a differing population is found, with tomentose axis of raceme and bracts and calyx lobes longer than in other specimens, and growing at 800-1000 m. .
Also in West New Guinea (Vogelkop Peninsula) deviating specimens are found with large, thicker-walled fruits at c. 1900 m.

Citation

K. & G. 1906 – In: J. As. Soc. Beng.: 239
Merr. 1929 – In: Un. Cal. Publ. Bot.: 248
Ridl. 1923 – In: Fl. Mal. Pen.: 302
Merr. 1923 – In: En. Philip.: 299
FLETCHER 1938 – In: Fl. Siam. En.: 385
BRAND 1901 – In: Pfl. R. Heft: 48
NOOT. 1975 – In: Leid. Bot. Ser.: 138