Myristica rumphii
Content
Description
Leaves (thinly) chartaceous, (elliptic-)oblong, base rounded or cuneate, lateral nerves 22-28 pairs;
Fruits 2.5-4 cm long, hairs bright brown, 0.5-1 mm;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Lesser Sunda Is. present, Damar present, Flores present, Sumba present, Sumbawa present, Timor present, Wetar present
Malesia: Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, Timor, Wetar, Damar).
Taxonomy
2 Schmutz 4013 (W Flores, at 300 m alt.), with female flowers, keys out to Myristica rumphii on account of its almost glabrous lower leaf surface, with only a very faint and fine arachnoid covering. It differs from the remainder of the material of var. rumphii in the more glossy upper leaf surface, and particularly in the larger female flowers (6 by 4.5-5 mm), with large late caducous bracteole, 5 mm long, and distinctly longer hairs, 0.5-1 mm. More complete material from the area is needed to assess the status of this deviating specimen.
1 Var. rumphii is identical with Sinclair's Myristica fatua var. spanogheana, one of the 14 varieties recognized by Sinclair (1968) in his large concept of M. fatua; however, the East Malesian varieties are treated now as four related species, each with its own distributional area, viz. M. fatua, M. mindanaensis, M. rumphii, and M. sango-woensis.