Blumeodendron (Müll.Arg.) Kurz

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 nine species distributed from the Andaman Islands and Myanmar in the west through Malesia to the Bismarck Archipelago in the east.

Morphology General

Latex absent but young parts, especially inflorescences, gummy when young

Morphology General Indumentum

Indumentum of small orange peltate hairs (when young)

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules minute or seemingly absent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate or subopposite or in pseudo-whorls, simple, leaflets elliptic to ovate, margins entire, penninerved

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary, racemose or condensed racemose, composed of a single sex only

Morphology General Habit

Plants dioecious Trees to 30 m

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Staminate flowers: calyx 3–4, lobes valvate; petals absent; stamens 15–40, free, anthers bilocular; disk glands numerous on the pulvinate receptacle; pistillode absent. Pistillate flowers: calyx 3–5, lobes small and reduced; disk annular; ovary 2–3-locular; styles short, recurved

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a 2–3-locular capsule, subglobose to spherical, smooth

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds smooth, caruncle absent.

Ecology

The two species of Blumeodendron can be found in primary and secondary forests up to 800 m.

Recognition

The genus is recognised being large trees with entire leaves which are usually subopposite or in pseudo-whorls (but can be alternate too!), the dioecious sexuality (i.e. with plants having flowers of only single sex), and the relatively large smooth fruits up to 5 cm in diameter which are quite woody and tardily dehiscent. Note, the peltate hairs when young are minute and, indeed, Airy Shaw (1980) in his key to genera mentions that the genus lacks stellate hairs; the same publication flowers in fascicles are used in the key to genera for Blumeodendron, but the two taxa found in New Guinea have flowers borne in inflorescences, though these can be short (less than 2 cm long).