Litsea Lam.

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

Distribution

A genus of about 400 species from the temperate and tropical regions of Asia and Australia and a few in America. In New Guinea and the Solomon Islands around 45–65 species are recorded.

Morphology General Habit

Trees or shrubs, 2.5–20(–30) m tall, evergreen or deciduous; terminal bud sometimes with scales

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, rarely opposite or verticillate, penninerved, sometimes glaucous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence umbels or umbellate cymes or panicles, solitary or clustered in leaf axils; involucral bracts 4–6, decussate, persistent at flowering

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Staminate flowers: fertile stamens 9 or 12, rarely more, in 3 or 4 whorls of 3 each, first and second whorls usually without glands, third and fourth with 2 glands at the base; anthers 4-celled, all introrse; rudimentary pistil present or lacking. Pistillate flowers: staminodes as many as stamens of staminate flowers; ovary superior; style conspicuous Flowers unisexual and plants dioecious, yellowish; perianth tube long or short, segments usually 6, in 2 whorls of 3 each, equal or unequal, rarely lacking or 8

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually red or black when mature, seated on perianth tube; perianth tube enlarged, shallowly discoid or deeply cup-shaped or unaltered at fruit.

Ecology

Found growing in primary and secondary rain forest and along rivers in open vegetation; from sea level to 3250 m.

Recognition

Species of this genus can be recognised by having unisexual flowers borne on umbellate inflorescences (the short shoots of which can be quite long, up to 10 cm), 4-locular anthers and fruits with a cup at the base.