Anthocarapa
Description
Trees.
Leaves paripinnate.
Flowers unisexual (trees dioecious or monoecious), in axillary or supra-axillary thyrses.
Petals (4) 5, free, imbricate, at least at apices.
Staminal tube ± urceolate, margin crenulate; anthers 10, glabrous, inserted within tube throat, partly exserted.
Ovary (2-) 3- (or 4-)locular, locules uniovulate, placentation axile; stylehead discoid.
Fruit a 2-, 3- (or 4-)valved capsule, (tardily) dehiscent loculicidally.
Seed with non-vascularized sarcotesta; embryo with thick collateral cotyledons; radicle superior, included.
Distribution
from Philippines to New Caledonia present
1 or possibly 2 (see below) species from Philippines to New Caledonia
Morphology
Although Anthocarapa would not be confused with Xylocarpus in the field as their ecology is completely different, or in fruit, flowering material may be confused in the herbarium, which is probably why Pierre named the genus Anthocarapa, Xylocarpus sometimes being included in the genus Carapa Aubl. from tropical America and Africa. In Xylocarpus, though, there are always 4 glabrous petals, 8 anthers and 8 staminal tube lobes, and a 4- (or 5-)lobed ovary, each locule with 3 or 4(–6) ovules. The (distinction from Dysoxylum is very slight (see generic key), such that the genus is scarcely separable, Harms having already described material of A. nitidula in Dysoxylum.