Aphanamixis polystachya

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Aphanamixis polystachya

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Description

Pachycaul treelet or tree to 20(–35) m, often flowering when very small; bole to 70 cm diam., often crooked, sometimes with buttresses to l(–2) m. Bark reddish-brown, flaking; inner bark pinkish, often with white latex; sapwood white; heartwood pink. Leaves 45–125 cm, (4–)6–10-jugate, red when young, glabrous or less often petiole, rachis and abaxial surface of leaflets and adaxial surface of veins ± brown pubescent (in sicco), the hairs simple, basally bifid or stellate or a mixture of these; petiole 5–15 cm, 6–9 mm diam., ± lenticellate, terete but greatly swollen and flattened or channelled adaxially near base. Inflorescences to 110 cm in female, 50 cm in male and hermaphrodite, but often very much shorter, ± supra-axillary; branches to 15 cm, subsquarrose; axes ± puberulous or pubescent; bracteoles c. 0.5 mm, scale-like; pedicels 0–4(–8) mm. Flowers c. 4–9 mm diam., sweetly scented (foetid, Elmer). Petals c. 3–5(–7) mm diam., subrotund, ± pubescent without, glabrous within, cream to yellow or bronze, sometimes tinged red, waxy. Staminal tube cream; anthers (5) 6 (8), c. 2.5–4 mm long, elliptic, apiculate, glabrous. Capsule c. 2–4 cm diam., yellowish at first, pink or red at maturity, glabrous; pericarp sometimes with white latex, white within. Seeds 1–3, c. 17–22 mm long, plano-convex, hanging by strips of endocarp from capsule, ± covered with brownish red or orange oily aril; testa dark brown or black. 2n = 36, 76, c.150.

Distribution

Indomalesia from Sri Lanka and India to Bhutan, tropical China and Indochina, throughout Malesia, to the Solomon Islands present
As for genus. Long cultivated in the New World and under glass in Europe.Indomalesia from Sri Lanka and India to Bhutan, tropical China and Indochina, throughout Malesia, to the Solomon Islands

Taxonomy

Using cultivated material in India, R.B. Ghosh showed seeds formed without fertilization, adventitious embryos arising from the nucellus. Seed structure has been investigated by Corner who has shown that the narrow white strip on the adaxial surface is the extended chalaza with the aril-attachment on either side and that the free testa and tegmen are restricted to the upper micropylar quarter of the seed, the rest being invested in a vascularized pachychalaza. As there is no evident funicle and part of the aril is exostomal, the aril is exactly intermediate between the funicular aril and the exostomal arilloid: ‘it disposes of the academic distinction’. The free integuments resemble in structure those of Celastraceae, the pachychalazal part being reminiscent of Sapindaceae. This is a polymorphic species within which local variants may appear very distinctive, though linked by intermediates elsewhere. Myrmecophilous forms are common in New Guinea, rare elsewhere, while there are very pubescent forms in the Philippines, less frequently collected in New Guinea and Java. The length of the pedicels, colour of the flowers and height of the trees also vary but there seems to be little correlation between the variation of these different characters and little of it is linked with geography. Nevertheless, in a local context it may be useful, as in Vavaea amicorum Benth. (q.v.) and Chisocheton patens Blume (q.v.) to recognize such variants in an informal way. This is more fully discussed by Mabberley (l.c.). Forms with up to 3 spikes per axil have been found in the Philippines. In Thailand a form with a bud at the apex of the inflorescence rather like that in cultivated forms of Melia azedarach L. (q.v.) has been found.

Uses

The timber is used in house construction in New Guinea and Thailand and is suitable for furniture. In India, a commercially valuable oil for soapmaking is extracted from the seeds (43.5% by weight) and this, like the bark, has some medicinal value, the latter in a liniment used in the treatment of rheumatism. In the Moluccas (Central Halmahera), the mashed leaves in a water solution are sprayed on fruiting heads of rice against disease (De Vogel 4363) and recent research in China and Bangladesh has shown extracts from twigs, bark, fruits and seeds to be efficacious antifeedants, deterring a range of insect pests.

Citation

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Wu 1977 – In: Fl. Yunnan.: 230.
Pellegr. 1911 – In: Fl. Indo-Chine: 768.
Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 535
Fern.-Vill. 1880: Nov. App.: 43
Rock 1917: Orn. Trees Hawaii: 125: t. 51
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Elmer 1937 – In: Leafl. Philipp. Bot.: 3330.
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Elmer 1937 – In: Leafl. Philipp. Bot.: 3331.
Fern.-Vill. 1880: Nov. App.: 43
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Elmer 1937: Leafl. Philipp. Bot.: 3338
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Harms 1942 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 160.
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A. Juss. 1831 – In: Linnaea: 112
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Bedd. 1871: Fl. Sylv.: t. 132
Pierre 1897 – In: Fl. For. Cochinch.: t. 344B
M. Roem. 1846 – In: Synops. Monogr.: 100
Brandis 1874: For. Fl.: 69, 573
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C.E.Parkinson 1923: For. Fl. Andam.: 123
Backer 1911: Schoolfl. Java: 216