Pteleocarpa
Placement status: name or taxon excluded (unspecific)
Content
Description
Glabrous trees.
Leaves alternate, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate.
Inflorescences panicu- loid, many-flowered, terminal, without bracts.
Flowers on a short stalk.
Stamens 5, exserted from the throat, with sagittate anthers.
Ovary undivided, bilocular, each locule with a small upright and a bigger pendulous ovule; style divided to the base into two branches, each bearing a capitate stigma.
Fruit broadly elliptic to suborbicular, with a wide, cartilaginous, radially veined wing, one-seeded.
Seed elongate.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present, Singapore present), S Thailand present, incl. Bangka present
A monotypic genus, see under the species.S ThailandSumatra (incl. Bangka)Malay PeninsulaSingaporeBorneo.
Notes
The most peculiar features of the genus which clearly show that it cannot be a member of Boraginaceae are the radially veined wings of the single fruit and especially the two different ovules, one pendent and one upright. This latter character is very rare in general and found, e.g., in the genus Maytenus of Celastraceae.
Pteleocarpa was included in Olacaceae by its original author, but there are many important differences. Veldkamp, I.c., discusses possible relationships to Boraginaceae, Icacinaceae, Olacaceae, Cardiopteridaceae, Lophopyxidaceae and Sapindaceae, but he arrives at the conclusion that it does not belong to any of them. It may prove necessary to describe a new family for it, the position of which will remain uncertain again, however.
Pteleocarpa was included in Olacaceae by its original author, but there are many important differences. Veldkamp, I.c., discusses possible relationships to Boraginaceae, Icacinaceae, Olacaceae, Cardiopteridaceae, Lophopyxidaceae and Sapindaceae, but he arrives at the conclusion that it does not belong to any of them. It may prove necessary to describe a new family for it, the position of which will remain uncertain again, however.