Kingiodendron
Content
Description
Medium to large evergreen trees, slashed wood usually exuding a green sap.
Leaves imparipinnate, (1 — )3 — 6- (or 7-)foliolate.
Stipules very small, fugacious, leaving scars.
Inflorescences axillary, racemose, simple, solitary or aggregate, or paniculate, shortly peduncled; rachis and branchlets rather loosely flowered, glabrous or hairy; bracts minute, scale-like, persistent; bracteoles usually 2, minute, often inserted at the base of a flower; pedicels short.
Flowers bisexual or rarely unisexual (see note 2).
Sepals 5, imbricate, usually with transparent dots, ciliate.
Petals absent.
Stamens 10, bent in bud, hairy at base, exserted at anthesis; anthers medi-dorsifix, lengthwise dehiscent, introrse.
Ovary sessile or subsessile, hairy, 1-ovuled; style developed or very short, glabrous or hairy.
Seeds with strongly folded cotyledons.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: India present; Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present), Pacific: Fiji (Fiji present), Solomon Islands present
Six species distributed in India, the Pacific (Solomon Islands and Fiji), and Malesia (Philippines, Moluccas, New Guinea).
Taxonomy
Knaap-van Meeuwen (I.e.: 49) recorded the species Kingiodendron platycarpus Burtt from New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. According to Verdcourt this species does, however, not occur there.
The flowers of this genus have been described as bisexual. However, some of them appear to be heterostylous, with fertile or (partly) sterile stamens. Verdcourt (l.c.) stated that possible presence of functionally male or female flowers needs investigation.
Many sterile specimens have been collected, especially from Irian Jay a, which are so far unidentifiable to species.
The medium- to large-sized trees of Kingiodendron can be easily identified to the genus by a combination of the following characters: 1) slashed wood usually exuding a green sap, 2) leaflets with pellucid dots, 3) indehiscent pods, and 4) strongly folded cotyledons which can be easily observed in a section. However, fertile collections, especially fruiting material, are needed for further study of the species in this group (cf. Verdcourt, l.c.).