Dysoxylum tenuiflorum A.C.Sm.
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Authority
Smith, Albert C. 1952. Studies of Pacific Island plants, X. The Meliaceae of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Contr. U. S. Natl. Herb. 30: 469-522.
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Family
Meliaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type in the herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden, conected in forest on Hmestone formation, Kambara, Fiji, alt. 0-100 m., March 2, 1934, by A. C. Smith (No. 1247). Duplicates at Bish, GH, K, US. etc.
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Description
Latin Diagnosis - Arbor D. maota Reinecke samoensi valde affinis, foliolis paucioribus laminis plerumque ovato-ellipticis basi inconspicue inaequilateralibus, sepalis paullo minoribus, corollae lobis angustioribus, tubo stamineo et disco textura leviter tenuioribus differt.
Description - Tree 8-20 m. high, sometimes spreading, the branchlets terete, sparsely and obscurely strigillose distally, soon glabrate ; leaves and inflorescences aggregated toward apices of branchlets, the leaves (20—) 25-50 cm. long, the petiole, rachis, and petiolules slender, terete, glabrous or very sparsely strigillose, the petiole 4-13 cm. long, slightly swollen at base ; leaflets (5—) 7 or 9, the petiolules 1-4 mm. long (on distal margin, sometimes up to 7 mm. on proximal margin) , the blades papyraceous, pale greenish and rugulose when dried, the middle lat-eral ones ovate- or oblong-elliptic, 9-11 cm. long, 4-6.5 cm. broad. at base obviously but not conspicuously inequilateral, broadly obtuse (rounded on distal side) , at apex gradually narrowed into an obtuse acumen 10-15 mm. long, the basal leaflets reduced in size, the terminal leaflet similar to the laterals or slightly smaller, acute at base on a petiolule to 2 cm. long; venation of leaflets pale or yellowish, the costa elevated above, prominent beneath, the secondaries 7-12 per side, spreading, nearly plane above, elevated beneath, the veinlet-reticulation inconspicuous ; leaflet-blades glabrous or usually barbellate in nerve-axils beneath with pale tangled hairs less than 1 mm. long; in-florescence supra-axillary, broadly or narrowly paniculate, at an thesis 15-40 cm. long, the peduncle (3-6 cm. long) , rachis, and branches slender, essentially glabrous, the branches several or numer-ous, spreading, up to 10 cm. long; bracts minute, deltoid, less than 1 mm, long, acute, like the bracteoles dorsally strigillose-puberulent ; flowers subsessile, subtended by about 10 closely imbricate bracteoles, these membranaceous, broadly deltoid, ciliolate-margined, the outer-most about 0.5 X 1 mm., the innermost up to 1.2 X 1.5 mm., simulat-ing sepals and forming a cupule ; sepals 5, free, in texture and indument similar to bracteoles, at length glabrate, ovate-suborbicular, 1-1.7 mm. long, 1.3-2 mm. broad, rounded at apex ; corolla thin-carnose, at anthesis about 12 mm. long, copiously strigose-puberulent without (hairs 0.1-0.2 mm. long, predominantly retrorse), glabrous within, composed of 5 petals eventually strongly reflexed and free in the distal two-thirds, these oblong-ligulate, 1.2-1.6 mm. broad, subacute and minutely inflexed at apex; staminal tube submembranaceous, slightly shorter than corolla, strigillose in free portion without, glabrous within, crenulate at apex with 10 emarginate lobes 0.7-1 mm. long; stamens 10, affixed between the lobes of the tube about 1 mm. from apices, the anthers sessile, oblong, 1-1.2 mm. long, obtusely mucronate and slightly exserted; disk thin-carnose, cylindric, about 4,5 mm. long and 1.5-2 mm. in diameter, obscurely crenulate at apex with 5 minute lobes, sparsely and very minutely retrorse-puberulent without, retrorse-strigillose within (hairs 0.1-0J5 mm. long) ; ovary conical, hispidulous-strigillose with stramineous hairs 0.3-0.4 mm. long, the locules 3, each with 2 collateral-superposed ovules (fruiting locules 4 ex Bryan) , the style terete, stout, 9-10 mm. long, glabrous distally, the stigma peltate-capitate, about 1 mm. in diameter, obscurely 3-lobed when young; fruit subtended by subpersistent sepals, subglobose, about 2.5 cm. in diameter, the pericarp rugulose, without obvious longitudinal ridges, very densely velutinous with hairs less than 0.1 mm. long.
Common Names - I noted the names of tokai (1247) and tarawau tangane (717), but I do not feel sure that either name was correctly applied by my informants.
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Discussion
The new species is closely related only to the Samoan D. maota, differing most obviously in its reduced number of leaflets. The flowers of the two entities are quite similar, those of the new species being a trifle the more slender and delicate in texture; the leaflets of D. maota are usually the narrower in proportion and have very conspicuously inequilateral bases. The new species differs from its relatives in Fiji, D. seemartnii and D. hornei, by the several obvious characters stated in my key; these three Fijian species of § Didymocheton are actually not closely related to one another.