Hypserpa polyandra

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Hypserpa polyandra

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Description

Scandent shrub or woody climber up to c. 40 m. Branchlets minutely yellowish puberulous to glabrescent or tomentose. Leaves: Inflorescences pseudo-paniculate, 2.5—11 by 1.5-5 cm, ± triangular in outline, yellowish puberulous or tomentose.

Distribution

Aru Is present, Asia-Tropical: Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present, Australasia: Queensland (Queensland present), Batu Is present, Carolines present, Flores present, Lesser Sunda Is present, New Hebrides present, SE. Celebes present, Solomons present, Ternate present, Timor present, W. Sumatra present
Australia (Queensland), New Hebrides, Solomons, Carolines; in Malesia: New Guinea (incl. Aru Is.), Moluccas (Ternate), SE. Celebes, Lesser Sunda Is. (Flores, Timor), W. Sumatra (Batu Is.).

Uses

Bark after being pounded and powdered is applied to the head as a treatment for headaches in Bougainville I.

Notes

Hypserpa raapii was distinguished by DIELS from H. polyandra by the number of inner sepals being 4 in the former and 6 in the latter. H. raapii is still only represented by the solitary, male type specimen (RAAP 607) which does indeed usually have 4 inner sepals, but 5 also occur. Since (4-)5-7 inner sepals are found in H. polyandra, and RAAP 607 agrees in all other respects with that species it is not possible to maintain H. raapii as a distinct species.
This results in a rather curious distribution for H. polyandra, since RAAP 607 was collected in the Batu Is. west off Sumatra while H. polyandra is only known otherwise in S. and E. Malesia.

Citation

WHITE 1929 – In: J. Arn. Arb.: 212
BECC. 1968 – In: Kew Bull.: 360
Diels 1910 – In: Pfl. R.: 212
Diels 1910 – In: Pfl. R.: 213
FORMAN 1958 – In: Kew Bull.: 455
WARB. 1891 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 315
YAMAMOTO 1944 – In: J. Soc. Trop. Agric.: 98
K. SCH. & LAUT. 1901: Fl. Deut. Schutzgeb. Südsee: 315