Vavaea amicorum
Content
Description
According to Pennington (1969: 352), building on the earlier observations of Gray, some flowers are functionally female, having narrow, rather shrunken anthers without good pollen and, indeed, some trees appear to be entirely female, with few- flowered inflorescences, the flowers with fewer (10–12) non-functional anthers. Some trees have flowers with fertile anthers and have young fruits on the same shoot and he concludes that the flowers are probably hermaphrodite. The other species in the genus appear to have hermaphrodite flowers only.
Treelet or tree to 30 m, usually much less, bole to 30 cm diam.; buttresses usually absent, rarely to 3 m tall, 2 m out.
Bark brown, smooth, lenticellate to scaling, scales c. 5–10 by 5 mm; inner bark off white;
Leaves (2–)3–22(–27) by (2–)5–9(–13) cm, oblanceolate to obovate, rarely orbicular, in terminal rosettes, subglabrous to densely hispid; base cuneate to attenuate, rarely truncate; apex obtuse, with or without an acute to obtuse acumen, less often ± truncate; veins 6–11 (–16) on each side, venation sometimes conspicuously reticulate; petiole (2–)3–22(–45) mm.
Inflorescence (1.5–)2–13(–15) cm, axillary or occasionally supra-axillary, rarely subtended by a few subulate leaves, sweetly scented (Gardenia acc. to Kostermans); axes ± pubescent; bracts l–4(–40) mm, linear-lanceolate, rarely foliaceous; pseudopedicels 1–5 mm.
Petals (3–)4–6, 4–9.5 mm long, oblong to oblanceolate or rarely spatulate, rather fleshy, imbricate or rarely contorted.
Filaments white or pinkish becoming yellow with age united for 1/5 to almost all of length, rarely with an apical pair of small lobes; staminal tube cyathiform or short-tubular, 2–5.5 mm long, 2.5–3 mm diam., hirsute distally without, densely barbate at throat, often purplish; anthers 9–17, 0.3–1.2 mm long, ovoid or subspherical, rarely elongate, glabrous or with a few hairs on connective.
Ovary 2–4-locular; locules with 1 or 2 (3) collateral ovules; stylehead flattened-capitate.
Berry 0.8–2 cm diam., globose, rarely apiculate, purplish black when ripe; pericarp usually thin and fleshy, rarely thickened and woody.
Seeds 1–4.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Australasia: Northern Territory (Northern Territory present); Queensland (Queensland present), Basilan present, Batanes present, Caroline Is present, Catanduanes present, Celebes (SW) present, Ceram present, E present, Java (W) present, Leyte present, Luzon present, Masbate present, Mindanao present, N present, New Britain present, New Hebrides present, New Ireland present, Pacific: Fiji (Fiji present); Tonga (Tonga present), Palawan present, Panay present, Samar present, Solomon Is present, Sumatra (C?) present, Talaud present, Tanimbar present
Tropical Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland), Caroline Is., Solomon Is., New Hebrides, Fiji, Tonga and Malesia: Sumatra (C?), Java (W), Borneo (N and E), Philippines (Palawan, Batanes, Luzon, Catanduanes, Masbate, Samar, Leyte, Panay, Basilan, Mindanao), Celebes (SW), Moluccas (Ceram, Talaud, Tanimbar), New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland. The Sumatra record is based on a specimen collected by Junghuhn and discussed by Van Steenis in
Taxonomy
The variation of this species is amply discussed by Pennington (1969) who shows that there are four main centres of variation: the Philippines, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Fiji, in each of which the variation is similar and principally involves leaf-shape, leaf abaxial surface indumentum, petiole and inflorescence lengths. Locally distinct entities may be recognized by these distinctions but break down elsewhere. The whole appears to represent an ochlospecies similar to that in Chisocheton lasiocarpus and C. patens (q.v.), though both these are found in more restricted areas. For a different view see
Uses
The wood is considered a substitute for sandalwood in Fiji and the Caroline Islands while, in northern Borneo, it is rubbed over the bodies of the dead. The wood has some uses in house construction too.
Citation
C.DC. 1910 – In: Nova Guinea, Bot.: 426
Elmer 1937 – In: Leafl. Philipp. Bot.: 3391
Kaneh. 1931 – In: Bot. Mag. Tokyo: 289
T.D.Penn. 1969: p. 358. – In: Blumea: f. 1a–e
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 360.
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 360.
Kaneh. 1933: Fl. Micron.: 165
Burkill 1901 – In: J. Linn. Soc, Bot.: 31
CDC. 1878 – In: DC., Monogr. Phan. 1: 645
Elmer 1937 – In: Leafl. Philipp. Bot.: 3390
Merr. 1918 – In: Philipp. J. Sc, Bot.: 301
Kaneh. 1935 – In: J. Dept. Agr. Kyushu Imp. Univ.: 345.
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 360.
Koord. 1914 – In: Atlas: t. 298.
Backer & Bakh. f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 120.
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 359
T.D.Penn. 1975: p. 465. – In: Blumea: f. 5a.
C.DC. 1878 – In: DC., Monogr. Phan. 1: 646
DC. 1886 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 461
A.C.Smith 1952 – In: Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb.: 472
Walp. 1846 – In: Rep.: 377
A.Gray 1855 – In: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts Sci. n.s.: 329
Harms 1896 – In: Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3, 4: t. 158, f. J, K
Harms 1942 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 159.
Merr. 1918 – In: Philipp. J. Sc., Bot.: 301
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 360.
A.C. Smith 1952 – In: Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb.: 473.
Hemsl 1894 – In: J. Linn. Soc, Bot.: 171
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 360.
A.Gray 1854: p. 244. – In: U.S. Expl. Exped. Bot. Phan.: t. 16, f. B
Merr. 1918 – In: Philipp. J. Sc, Bot.: 301
Merr. & L.M. Perry 1940: p. 297. – In: J. Arnold Arbor. 21: incl. var. angustifolia Merr. & L.M. Perry.
C.Muell. 1857 – In: Walp., Ann. 4: 388
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl.: 359.
Koord. 1912 – In: Exk. Fl. Java: 137
Harms 1940 – In: Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 2, 19bl: t. 21, f. J. K
M. Roem. 1846 – In: Synops. Monogr.: 141