Kibara rigidifolia

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Kibara rigidifolia

Description

Small tree to 8 m, sparsely branched; Dioecious (according to BRASS). Leaves opposite or in whorls of 3, elliptic-oblong or lanceolate-elliptic, up to 30 by 11.5 cm, base broadly cuneate, apex rounded or obtuse with a glandular mucro, coriaceous, light yellow-green when dry, entire or with acute dentations, midrib prominent beneath, principal veins numerous, at first straight but arched and uniting within the margin, glabrous; Inflorescence axillary, the male flowers in panicles c. 40 mm long, the female pleiochasia up to 60 mm.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical, Australasia: Queensland (Queensland present), Balimo Distr present, Morehead present, Papua New Guinea present, Western Prov present
Queensland and Malesia: Papua New Guinea (Western Prov.: Morehead&Balimo Distr.).

Notes

A sparsely branched shrub or small tree with pale, shining, coriaceous leaves which are frequently arranged in whorls of three on triangular stems. Older branches fawn, with soft fissured corky bark. The drupes are black on an orange receptacle. The number of stamens is variable, even on the same plant. They are not arranged irregularly over the receptacle wall (as in Wilkiea) but form a central group. When the number of stamens is reduced, the inner tepals may resemble staminodes. The form of the stamens differs from that of most species of Kibara as they are held vertically with the two lips of the horseshoe-shaped slit ± equal (in most species the anther inclines towards the centre with the lower lip smaller than the upper).

Citation

PHILIPSON 1985 – In: Blumea: 412