Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees 4–15 m tall.

Stems: Trunk up to 30 cm in diameter, bark finely fissured–reticulate, new growth glabrous or finely puberulent to tomentose, young branches subtended by a pair of bud scales.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound. Alternate. Leaflets 3–7, lowest pair strongly reduced or rarely 1 or both reduced leaflets absent. lowest pair of leaflets stipelliform or, if expanded, then usually folded or strongly revolute, (0.2–)1.5–3(–4) cm long, arising immediately below lowest pair of normal leaflets; normal leaflets oblong–elliptic, elliptic to broadly elliptic or sometimes broadly obovate, 6–15(–36) cm long, (2.5–)3.5–9(–13.5) cm wide, lateral petiolules articulated only at base, 3–9 mm long, terminal petiolule twice articulated, at base and near leaflet, 8–30 mm long. Leaflet apices apex obtuse to rounded. Base cuneate to rounded. Leaflet surfaces glabrous or lower surfaces rarely puberulent, conspicuously glandular punctate; blades thick, coriaceous. Margins entire rarely weakly emarginate. Normal leaflets lateral veins usually 6–8 pairs, prominent, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern. Rachis terete (cylindrical) or winged. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers usually 5–15 in terminal or leaf–opposed, open, cymose inflorescences usually 5–10 cm long, peduncles 10–40 mm long, pedicels 3–6(–8) mm long, subtended by a pair of bud scales; bracteoles 1 mm or less long. Flowers unisexual, actinomorphic. Calyx of 4 sepals, broadly ovate–deltate, 1–1.5 mm long, ciliolate. Corolla of 2 or sometimes 4 petals; petals white or yellowish white, sometimes tinged reddish, lanceolate to ovate, 6–10 mm long. Stamens 4, alternate with the petals, glabrous or pubescent, absent in pistillate flowers; anthers medifixed, dithecal. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, but usually only 1 carpel developing, placentation axile, rudimentary in staminate flowers; ovules 2 per carpel, pendulous; style short, ± coherent; stigmas obliquely orbicular, capitate.

Fruit: Follicles 1–2; ovoid; 15–25(–33) mm long; glandular–pitted; apex conspicuously beaked; the beak 3–8 mm long; exocarp rugose; endocarp coriaceous. Seeds usually 1 per follicle; on a slender funicle; black; ovoid; 10–26 mm long.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Dry to mesic forest; sometimes along margins of wet forest.

Elevation Range: 260–1,280 m.