Turraea pubescens
Description
Deciduous shrub often of straggling habit, or, more rarely, a small tree to 6 m; trunk to 11 cm dbh.
Bark silvery grey to reddish, sometimes with prominent lenticels; inner bark fawn, with sickly smell;
Leaves 1.5–10(–17) by 1–6 cm, often not completely expanded at anthesis, ovate to oblong, subglabrous or sparsely hairy on veins to subvelutinous adaxially; apex obtuse to acuminate; base rounded to cuneate; major veins c. 5 or 6 on each side, acute, arcuate, very occasionally with tufts of hairs in their axils; petiole 5–9 mm.
Inflorescences fascicles or condensed cymes of up to 6 sweetly scented flowers, sometimes produced on leafless branches; axis 2–5 mm long, pubescent; bracts 1–2 mm long, triangular, pubescent; pedicels 1.5–3 cm.
Petals 30–45 by 2.5–4 mm at widest, linear-spathulate, white becoming yellowish with age.
Staminal tube 20–30 by c. 3 mm at widest, cylindrical to weakly obconical, white, margin subentire or, usually, with ten appendages sometimes divided apically into 2(–4) lobes, reflexed at anthesis; anthers 10, c. 1 mm long, at apex of tube, glabrous, yellow, filament very short.
Ovary 5-locular, subglabrous; style c. 30–45 mm, long-exserted, ± pubescent in proximal region, stylehead expanded to form a ‘receptaculum pollinis’, surmounted by discoid stigmatic region pale yellow.
Fruits up to 1.8 cm long, globose to subellipsoid, vermilion, 5-sutured, the 5 leathery valves reflexed at dehiscence starwise, 1–5 each bearing two seeds.
Seeds c. 6 mm long, arillate; testa black, shiny; aril scarlet; endosperm slightly elongate.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Jawa (Jawa present); New Guinea present, Flores present, Indomalesia from India and S China to tropical Australia, south to northern New South Wales present, Luzon present, Timor present
Indomalesia from India and S China to tropical Australia, south to northern New South Wales; in Malesia: Java, Philippines (Luzon), Lesser Sunda Islands (Flores, Timor), New Guinea.
Ecology
The species flowers at the onset of the rains, when it may be leafless and then it is a conspicuous feature, as is Munronia pinnata of the spring flora of the teak forests of E Java. The scented white flowers with the long style suggest moth-pollination which is recorded in allied species from Africa.
Taxonomy
Turraea pubescens is the only true Turraea in Asia and is closely related to some of the East African species. A similar transoceanic distribution is seen in the allied Naregamia Wight & Arn. , which comprises one species in India and a very closely related one in Angola.
Seeds of T. pubescens have been examined by Corner (1.c.), who regards them as very similar to those of Celastraceae, to which family many collectors have assigned fruiting material of this species in the field.
As Bentham (1.c.) noted, the staminal tube appendages, on which character several ‘species’ were segregated, vary greatly, even on one flowering shoot The degree of pubescence also varies and may be associated with the level of exposure while shape of stylehead varies with development and between flowers on the same plant. Immature fruits dehisce on drying so the ‘ripe’ fruit size appears to vary greatly in herbarium material.
Uses
The plant is of some slight medicinal value in India . There its pickled fruits are used as a dye. Corner (1.c.) notes that a reddish-purple coloration is imparted to potash solution in which seeds have been steeped.
Citation
Drury 1864 – In: Handb. p 169
Pellegr. 1911: p. 735. – In: Fl. Indo-Chine. t. 80, f. 5–12
G. Don 1831 – In: Gen. Syst. 678.
Benth. 1863 – In: Fl. Austral. p 379
Moore 1893: Handb. Fl. NSW. p 37
M.Roem. 1846 – In: Synops. Monogr. p 92
Anon. 1976 – In: Wealth of India. 397.
Wight 1850 – In: Synops. Monogr. t. 1593
Backer 1911: Schoolfl. p 201
Dalz. & Gibs. 1861: Bomb. Fl. p 36
Willd. 1799 – In: Sp. Pl. p 555
M.Roem. 1846 – In: Synops. Monogr. p 91
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl. 359.
Stanley & Ross 1983 – In: Fl. SE Queensl. 477.
Hiern 1875 – In: Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 1. p 542
F.Muell. 1866 – In: Fragm. Phyt. Austral. p 144
Pellegr. 1946: Fl. Indo-Chine: 687. incl. var. billardierei (DC.) Pellegr. (‘billardieri’)
Cooke 1902 – In: Fl. Bomb. p 214
Drury 1864 – In: Handb. p 169
M.Roem. 1846 – In: Synops. Monogr. p 92
How & Chen 1955 – In: Acta Phytotax. Sin. p 4
Taylor & Harden 1991 – In: Flora NSW. p 282
F.M.Bailey 1899 – In: Queensl. Fl. p 226
F.Muell. 1876 – In: Descr. Not. Pap. Pl. p 53
Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat. p 534
Brouwer 1979 – In: Fl. Males. Bull. p 3244
DC 1824 – In: Prodr. p 620
Merr. 1927 – In: Lingn. Sc. J. p 103
Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat. p 534
Talbot 1902: Trees Bomb., ed. 2. 72.
Talbot 1909: p. 224. – In: For. Fl. Bomb. t. 134
Hance 1878 – In: J. Bot. p 9
M.Roem. 1846 – In: Synops. Monogr. p 92
C.DC. 1878 – In: DC., Monogr. Phan. 1. p 440
J.E. Smith 1817 – In: Rees, Cyclop. 36, 2. Turraea n. 2
Brandis 1906: Indian Trees. p 134
de Voogd 1927: p. 167. – In: Trop. Nat. t. 5.
Domin 1927 – In: Bibl. Bot. p 852
C.DC. 1878 – In: DC., Monogr. Phan. 1. p 446
Chun 1974 – In: Fl. Hain. p 60
T.D. Penn. 1975: p. 456. – In: Blumea. f. 3b
F.M.Bailey 1884 – In: Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensl. p 63
Hô 1992 – In: 111. Fl. Vietnam. 484.
Talbot 1902: Trees Bomb., ed. 2. p 72
Vidal 1886: Rev. Vasc. Pl. Filip. p 81
Backer & Bakh. f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java. p 191
Miq. 1868 – In: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. p 4
C.DC 1878 – In: DC., Monogr. Phan. 1. p 441
C.DC. 1878 – In: DC., Monogr. Phan. 1. p 442
Corner 1976: Seeds Dicots: 192. t. 392
F.M. Bailey 1913: Compreh. Catal. Queensl. Pl: 86. t. 72
Basu 1918: Ind. Med. Pl: 298. t. 216
Benn. 1840: Pl. Jav. Rar. p 181
Gamble 1915 – In: Fl. Madras. p 174
Hiern 1875: p. 541. – In: Hook, f., Fl. Brit. India 1. p.p.
Benn. 1840: Pl. Jav. Rar. p 181
Koord. 1912 – In: Exk. Fl. Java. p 438
Miq. 1868 – In: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. p 4
F.Muell. 1860: Essay Pl. Fitz. p 5
Backer 1911: Schoolfl. p 201
Forbes & Hemsl 1886 – In: J. Linn. Soc, Bot. p 113
M.Roem. 1846 – In: Synops. Monogr. p 92
Koord. 1912 – In: Exk. Fl. Java. 438.
Craib 1926: p. 249. – In: Fl. Siam. Enum. incl. var. billardierei
G.Don 1831 – In: Gen. Syst. p 678
Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat. p 534