Endocomia macrocoma subsp. prainii
Description
Inflorescences condensed to lax, usually much-branched, 8-25 cm long, with the pedicels and perianths sparingly to densely short-pubescent, hairs grey(-brown), 0.1-0.2 mm long;
Fruits narrowly to broadly ellipsoid to ovoid, (2.2-)3- 4.5(-5.5) by (1—)1.2—2.5 cm, apex obtuse or often subacute, base rounded, or with an up to 5 mm long narrowed part;
Distribution
Andaman I present, Asia-Temperate: China South-Central (Yunnan present), Asia-Tropical: Assam (Assam present); Bangladesh (Bangladesh present); India present; New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present), Burma present, South China present, W Java present, W Sumatra present
South China (Yunnan), India (Assam, Andaman I.), Bangladesh, Burma, Indochina; Malesia: W Sumatra, W Java, Philippines, New Guinea.
Morphology
1 A variable subspecies, mainly in the indumentum, some features of the male flowers, the shape and size of the fruits, and the colour of the seeds. This variation is more or less correlated with the geography. Specimens from the Philippines differ in inflorescences and indumentum, especially that of the flowers, composed of grey-white rather long hairs 0.1-0.2 mm. Specimens from New Guinea stand apart. They are characterized by generally shorter inflorescences and infructescences, androecium with 5 or 6 anthers, perianth dark red inside, fruits orange and small, sometimes only 2.2-2.5 cm long, testa non-variegated or only faintly so. Specimens from outside New Guinea have usually only 4 anthers, perianth greenish or yellowish inside, fruits yellow (once orange in the Philippines) and the testa always variegated. In other features the New Guinea specimens agree with those from elsewhere in the range of the species.
2 In Endocomia the seeds are almost always variegated, except in E. macrocoma subsp. prainii from New Guinea, where the seeds are dull greyish brown, not variegated or only faintly so, possibly because the aril is not laciniate.