Ericaceae

Trochocarpa R.Br.

First published in Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland.: 548 (1810)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Borneo to New Guinea, E. & SE. Australia.

Descriptions

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution
A small genus of 12 species in Malesia and Australia; eight species in New Guinea with only two species becoming small trees: Trochocarpa arfakensis (Kaneh. &Hatus.) Sleumer and T. papuana (C.H.Wright) Sleumer.
Morphology General Habit
Small trees or shrubs to 4 m, rarely to 10 m (in New Guinea)
Morphology Leaves
Leaves flat or convex, shortly petioled with a few longitudinal, generally prominent, branched or unbranched nerves. Inflorescences terminal and/or axillary, from many-flowered spikes to few-flowered clusters, rarely solitary or paired, flowers subsessile within the axil of a small subtending bract, provided with 2 or numerous (7–10) bracteoles
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers: sepals 5, imbricate; corolla tube ±cylindric, limb deeply 5-partite, lobes valvate; stamens generally partially included in the tube, filaments inserted at or slightly below the top of the corolla tube, short, filiform, attached at or near the top of the anthers; disk truncate, lobed or consisting of 5 distinct scales; ovary (8–)10(–11)-celled with 1 ovule per cell; style rather thick, short; stigma small, obtuse, subpeltate or subcapitate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit baccate, ±globular, mostly dark purplish to bluish blackish, rarely pink or light purple at maturity; mesocarp pulpy; endocarp separating or separable into (8–)10(–11) distinct, rather hard pyrenes.
Ecology
The genus is found in open and forested habitats such as grasslands, subalpine shrubberies montane forests; from 1900–4000 m.
Recognition
Trochocarpa can be recognised by the small, stiff and coriaceous leaves (being a member of the ‘Epacrid’ group of Ericaceae), the ripe fruit which is usually dark purplish to blue-black when mature with several distinct hard pyrenes, i.e. single seeded cells with a hardened endocarp. Some species of Trochocarpa are gynodioecious and will have reduced stamens lacking pollen in pistillate flowers.
[TONG]

Sources

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China

    • The Malesian Key Group (2010) Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China (Version 2.0, 28 Jul 2010) The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Leiden and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Trees of New Guinea

    • Trees of New Guinea
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0