Nephelium melliferum
Content
Description
Tree, up to 27 m high, dbh up to 60 cm.
Leaves 1-5-jugate;
Inflorescences pseudoterminal to terminal.
Sepals nearly free, 1-1.8 mm long.
Petals 2-5, elliptic, narrowed at base, 0.8-1.3 mm long, both sides woolly, no scale.
Stamens (7 or) 8.
Ovary 2-celled.
Fruits ellipsoid, 3.25-4 by 2.25 cm, the appendages rather dense to dense, up to 6(-9) mm long, triangular, pyramidal, or conical at the base, tapering into a tongue- or strap-shaped, curved upper part, ± densely golden brown puberulous;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present); Thailand (Thailand present); Vietnam (Vietnam present), Klawng Sa-mawng present, Lower Burma present, Peninsular Thailand present
Lower Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malesia: Peninsular Thailand (Klawng Sa-mawng), Malay Peninsula.
Notes
1. This species seems nearest to N. hy-poleucum and N. laurinum. It differs from both in the absence of domatia and in the hairy fruit appendages. Furthermore, N. hypoleucum differs in the only minutely warty fruits and the ± ovate leaflets; N. melliferum has at most a few leaflets that are widest just below the middle. Nephelium laurinum differs in the mostly ± parallel-sided, often long-acuminate leaflets. One of the two collections from Malaya, KEP FRI 20336, has the slightly curved oblong fruits which are typical of N, laurinum, but the appendages are densely hairy. The type of N. laurinum from Sumatra, on the other hand, bears very young fruits that resemble those of N melliferum, but the appendages are already nearly glabrous. These three species, which show a geographical overlap also, are doubtless closely allied and are separated only on the assumption that characters like hairy or glabrous fruits, the kind of fruit appendages, and minor details of leaf shape and venation delimit species.
2. Nephelium hamulatum also shows some resemblance to the present species, but is easily distinguishable by the mostly rather dense indumentum on the lower side of the leaflets.
3. Sterile and flowering material of N. melliferum may show a strong resemblance to Mischocar-pus pentapetalus Radlk. The latter differs among others by the more lax and far more distinct venation and by the towards the apex more petal-like sepals, which are thinly strigose hairy, in N. melliferum they are densely puberulous.
2. Nephelium hamulatum also shows some resemblance to the present species, but is easily distinguishable by the mostly rather dense indumentum on the lower side of the leaflets.
3. Sterile and flowering material of N. melliferum may show a strong resemblance to Mischocar-pus pentapetalus Radlk. The latter differs among others by the more lax and far more distinct venation and by the towards the apex more petal-like sepals, which are thinly strigose hairy, in N. melliferum they are densely puberulous.