Aglaia speciosa

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Aglaia speciosa

Description

Tree up to 35 m, bole up to 20 m, dbh up to 60 cm; buttresses outwards up to 1 m, upwards up to 5 m, the trunk fluted above. Bark reddish-brown, with small orange len- ticels, inner bark magenta or pink, sapwood yellow, latex white. Leaves 25–30 cm long, 22–24 cm wide; petiole 4.5–10 cm, petiole, rachis and petiolules densely covered with scales like those on the twigs. Inflorescence up to 22 cm long, 20 cm wide; peduncle 0.5–4 cm, peduncle, rachis and branches densely covered with scales like those on the twigs. Flowers 1–1.75 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, pedicels 0.5–1.5 mm; the pedicel and calyx densely covered with peltate scales which have a fimbriate margin. Staminal tube 0.5–1.2 mm long, 0.8–1.5 mm wide, cup-shaped or obovoid, anthers 5, inserted just inside the rim of tube and pointing to- wards the centre of the flower. Fruits 2.3–3 cm long, 1.7–2.7 cm wide, obovoid, orange or brown, indehis- cent; fruitstalks up to 5 mm, pericarp c. 1 mm thick, brittle, without dehiscence lines, densely covered with scales either like those on the twigs or paler and more fimbriate; locule(s) (1 or) 2, each containing 0 or 1 seed. Seed arillate, the aril c. 2 mm thick, translucent, yellow or orange, edible, firmly adhering to the testa; seed without the aril c. 1.6 cm long, 1.3 cm wide and 0.8 cm through, the seed coat with branched venation.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present); Sumatera (Sumatera present)
Malesia: Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Celebes.

Taxonomy

Aglaia speciosa usually has 7–11 leaflets, whereas A. korthalsii usually has 5 leaFl. ets. In Borneo some, but not all, leaves on a specimen may have fewer than 7 leaflets, but then the dense indumentum of small peltate scales, which have a distinctly dark centre and clearly defined pale margin which is closely adherent to the leaflet sur- face, distinguish it from A. korthalsii. The 12–15 pairs of veins together with the indu- mentum of peltate scales only, distinguish A. speciosa from A. odoratissima, which has 5–9(–11) pairs of veins and a mixture of peltate and stellate scales. The stigma is often longer and narrower than in A. korthalsii. The fruit is similar to, but larger than that of A. odoratissima, and contains one or two seeds.

Citation

Backer & Bakh.f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 127
Koord. 1913 – In: Atlas: t. 162
Miq. 1868 – In: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat.: 46
Pannell 1992: p. 164. – In: Kew Bull., Add. Ser.: f. 39, 4l.
Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 543