Urobotrya sect. Lepionuroides

Primary tabs

Urobotrya sect. Lepionuroides

Description

Shrubs or small trees, twigs glabrous or puberulous. Leaves glabrous or midrib hairy, thinly-coriaceous. Flowers bisexual, in racemes, usually three pedicelled flowers per bract; Flowers 3- or 4 (-5) -merous. Stamens exceeding the perianth. Ovary conical to cylindric;

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Laos (Laos present); Thailand (Thailand present); Vietnam (Vietnam present), Flores present, S. Burma present, S. China present
The range of this section: 5 spp. in Thailand, S. Burma, Laos, S. China, Vietnam; in Malesia: 2 spp. in Borneo and Flores. .

Taxonomy

The genus was originally restricted to western tropical Africa (lUrobotrya sect. Urobotrya with 2 spp.). This section is characterized by much longer racemes with small, narrowly triangular bracts.
Two species from Indochina were originally described under Lepionurus. The young inflorescences are indeed very similar to those of that genus, but the structure of the flowers differs considerably (cf. ). Anatomical and palynological data support the opinion that Urobotrya and Lepionurus are closely allied mutually and to Gjellerupia.

Uses

Leaves and/or fruits of U. siamensis HIEPKO in Thailand locally used as a medicine against intestinal parasites, in large amounts a deadly poison.

Citation

STAPF 1979 – In: Willdenowia: 29
STAPF 1978 – In: Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc.: 121