Steganthera ilicifolia

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Steganthera ilicifolia

Description

Shrub or small tree to 12 m; Leaves chartaceous, elliptic, lanceolate to broadly elliptic, 5.5-21 by 2-8.5 cm, base obtuse rounded or truncate, apex with a long or short acute apiculum, margin with prominent, remote denticulations, or with few minute teeth or entire, at first often covered with silky appressed hairs, becoming glabrous or retaining some indumentum, especially on the midrib below, nerves and reticulations prominent on the lower surface; Inflorescences axillary, supra-axillary or terminal, 4-6.5 mm long, either solitary few-flowered pleiochasia, or groups of a few pleiochasia, rachis and branches with strigose hairs, minute linear bracts below or on the branches (and also sometimes on the receptacles), rachis slender with a long peduncle before the first branching, branches opposite or subopposite, singly or in clusters and themselves branching. Fruiting receptacle only slightly enlarged, with hairs between the subsessile or more usually stipitate drupes (stipe occasionally to 5 mm long).

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Fergusson I. at 900 m present, Milne Bay Prov present, Star and Carstensz Mts present, West New Guinea present, mountains north of the Huon Gulf in Morobe and Madang Prov present
Malesia: New Guinea, from Milne Bay Prov. (incl. Fergusson I. at 900 m) westwards as far as the Star and Carstensz Mts in West New Guinea; also in the mountains north of the Huon Gulf in Morobe and Madang Prov.

Uses

Provides stakes for general purposes, e.g. for house-building, for digging sticks and firewood.

Notes

A common and widespread species, usually a straggling shrub, but sometimes attaining tree stature. In its usual form the harsh dentate leaves vary in size and shape, but the prominent venation below is characteristic as are the delicate, few-flowered inflorescences with small, globose male flowers. Female flowers are less frequent and are either terminal or end the distal branches. In less typical forms the dentations become fewer and less prominent, culminating in forms with quite entire, often lanceolate leaves. A few of the specimens with entire leaf margin cannot be distinguished from forms of S. hirsuta with certainty. The young foliage is described as red or pink, the flowers cream, and the ripe receptacle orange bearing purple-black drupes. The flowers are frequently deformed by in-sect galls.

Citation

PHILIPSON 1984 – In: Blumea: 495